


The Only Exception

by Kirye22



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-07
Updated: 2015-05-14
Packaged: 2018-03-10 22:56:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 32,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3306455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirye22/pseuds/Kirye22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elsa didn't know why she stopped that day. It was just another day, like any other. She had woken up, gotten ready, and left promptly at 7AM, just like she had done yesterday and the day before. She had stopped by her favorite coffee shop, and ordered the same thing she always had. Nothing was different. Nothing had changed. And maybe that was the problem. Modern AU Elsanna Non-incest (Rated Mature for Language)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> Alright so here's the deal; I was on FFN, but I received quite a bit of hate and harassment from a group known as Critics United (I'm sure most of y'all have heard of them by now), as well as several other anonymous users who were too cowardly to use their accounts, so I decided it was no longer worth my time and effort to remain on the site. I would like to thank AO3 for giving me another place to post my works where I am not bullied for it. I would also like to thank my good friend from FFN, LitNiche, who is my beta/co-writer. I hope y'all enjoy my story, and don't forget to leave reviews. I super love reviews, cause they're the only way I know what I can improve on. Constructive criticisms only please!

~.~.~.~.~

Chapter one

Elsa didn’t know why she stopped that day. It was just another day, like any other. She had woken up, gotten ready, and left promptly at 7AM, just like she had done yesterday and the day before. She had stopped by her favorite coffee shop, and ordered the same thing she always had. Nothing was different. Nothing had changed. And maybe that was the problem. Perhaps that was why, when she heard the soft tunes from across the street, she had crossed, instead of walking off like she had every day for the past three years.

The melody was soft. How she had even heard it in the first place was beyond her, but she had. It was a nice tune. Gentle. Welcoming. Elsa slowly approached the music, noticing, for the first time, that a girl was the source of the sound. She wasn’t anything extraordinary—at least not to most people. But to Elsa, she was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She didn’t know if it was the music, or the girl herself, but Elsa felt drawn to her.

The girl was obviously homeless. Her red hair, pulled into two greasy braids, peaked out underneath an old black beanie, and her plaid button up, black tank, and holey jeans looked as if they had seen better days. Elsa wondered how the girl wasn’t shivering in the freezing weather. Even her shoes looked sad, the old converse held together with duck-tape. Elsa almost felt bad for the girl—who looked as if she had never had a bath in her life—but the redhead smiled wide at her as she approached, gently strumming on her guitar.

As Elsa got closer, the girl changed her melody, morphing her tuneless song into a recognizable one. And when Elsa stopped a few feet away from her, the girl began to sing.

“ _When I was younger  
_ _I saw my daddy cry  
_ _And curse at the wind  
_ _He broke his own heart  
_ _And I watched  
_ _As he tried to reassemble it"_ (Paramore).

The girl never once broke eye contact with Elsa as she sang. The blonde felt as though she had never heard a more angelic sound. Sure, the song was nothing she hadn’t heard before, but when the girl sang it, it made Elsa feel like she was hearing it for the first time. The girl continued to smile as she sang, enchanting Elsa with her voice, until the song came to a soft end. The blonde stared at the redhead, still lost in her teal eyes, until the girl gently cleared her throat, holding up an old coffee can filled with coins and several bills.

“O-oh,” Elsa stammered, blushing slightly as she reached into her coat pocket, pulling out a crisp twenty. She smiled shyly as she dropped the bill into the can, taking a small step back. The girl smiled even wider at her, and Elsa noticed, underneath the layers of dirt and grim, she had several freckles covering her cheeks.

“Why I thank ye kindly, ma’am,” The gil said with a silly western accent, pretending to tip a hat at Elsa. Her smile never left her face as she spoke with the blonde. 

Elsa smiled back, inclining her head. She stood there awkwardly for another moment, wanting to hear the girl sing again, but unsure how to ask her. The girl eyed her cautiously, as she mindlessly strummed her guitar. Elsa looked up, her mouth open to ask, when a loud, blaring ring startled her. Her eyes widened as she jumped, fumbling with her purse to find her phone. She glanced down at the screen, her stomach dropping. It was her father.

She was late. 

She glanced back up to the girl, who was now standing, packing away her guitar. Elsa couldn’t help but feel sad as she watched the girl case the instrument before slinging it over her shoulder. The girl turned and smiled once more at the blonde. 

“Thanks again, blondie,” she said, saluting Elsa, “I’ll see you around.” 

With that, she hopped off of the steps she had been sitting on, and walked off down the road, leaving Elsa watching as she disappeared.

~.~.~.~.~

“You’re late,” were her father’s first words to her as she shuffled into his office. He didn’t even look up from his desk to address her. But this was nothing new to Elsa.

“Sorry, father,” she mumbled, keeping her head down, clasping her hands in front of her. “It won’t happen again.”

“No, it won’t,” he responded, finally looking up, and removing his reading glasses. “It won’t happen again, because we are better than this, aren’t we?”

“Yes Father,” Elsa agreed, still looking at her shoes.

“Good,” he said, giving what she knew was his final word on the matter. “Moving on. You will be meeting with Hans later this evening. You will discuss only the possibility of the merger _if_ it comes up. Otherwise, keep your legs and your mouth shut.”

Elsa swallowed as Gerda, her father’s executive assistant visibly blushed on her behalf. “Of course, Father, but—”

“What?” her father looked up from his desk. “Is there something else?”

“Um,” Elsa began.

“Don’t mumble. Why did I pay for the best education the world can offer if you are going to mumble?”

“I apologize,” Elsa bowed her head. “I merely wanted to inquire what the meeting’s purpose might be.”

“I have a daughter of marriageable age. Augustus Southern has a son of marriageable age. I assume your education also taught you basic deduction skills.”

“Yes, Father,” Elsa bowed her head once again. “I will leave to get ready, then,” she stood.

“Good,” her father said, returning his stern gaze to his papers. “See to it that he has a good time.”

Elsa nodded from the doorway, closing it on her way out. She quickly made her way towards the bathroom, where she promptly locked herself in a stall, sat down on the toilet, and cried. She didn’t cry out loud. She had learned over the years to shed quiet tears, but that didn’t make it any less intense.

After a few minutes, she exited the stall, and walked over to the sink. She splashed cold water over her face to wash off her smeared make-up, before re-applying it, making sure that she looked immaculate. God forbid her father think she had been crying for any reason. Once she was confident in her appearance, she left the bathroom to find her office.

Inside, she felt no peace as one might expect. Her father’s eyes and ears were ever-present throughout his company’s terrain, and the main office building was headquarters, her office his central command. She let out a long breath. Her father rarely bothered to meet with her. This meeting with Hans must involve more than what he was telling her. She opened her laptop and smiled. One thing growing up with an overbearing father had taught her was a means to circumvent even the best security systems. She opened up a program that would disguise her IP address and went to work.

~.~.~.~.~

Hans was the picture-perfect son. He held out his arm for Elsa to hold as he escorted Elsa to their table at the finest restaurant in the city. The maître d led them to a table by the picture window that took up the whole back wall of the restaurant. Elsa didn’t admire the view as another girl might. She knew the view better than anyone else in the city perhaps. After all, her father owned this restaurant. His ever-present eyes were almost as keen here as the office.

As they sat, Hans smiled at her. He wore a grey suit with a tie that matched her eyes subtly. “You have me at a disadvantage, Miss Arendelle,” he smirked.

Elsa smiled, looking down. “Call me Elsa, Mr. Southern. And how do I have you at a disadvantage precisely?” she waited a beat before meeting his gaze, knowing the dance they were commencing.

“Well, Elsa,” he leaned back in his seat. “You seem to know why we are here, while I haven’t a clue. Call me Hans, by the way.”

Elsa smiled artfully. “Isn’t it obvious?” she gave him a light laugh.

A corner of his lips turned up. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

The server approached, and introduced the chef’s specialty which they both decided to try. The evening went as planned. Elsa never flirted, but she never discouraged Hans either. She was the picture of sophisticated grace. Her father would have proud.

When Hans was dropping her off at her apartment, she turned as the doorman opened her building for her. “Thank you, Hans. I’ve had a lovely evening.”

Hans dipped his head, walking up to her. “I did too, Elsa Arendelle.” He reached for her hand, raising it to give it a chaste kiss. “I will call again, if I may.”

Holding his hand in her own before he slipped it away, she pressed a usb drive into his palm. “Do,” she smiled.

Hans had enough sense to pretend nothing had happened. “Goodnight, Elsa,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets.

“Goodnight, Hans,” she said, turning to head up to her apartment, a grin on her lips at a date gone wonderfully.

~.~.~.~.~

Elsa stood in front of her father, waiting for him to speak. He signed a few more papers, ignoring her until she had to fight the urge to squirm. When she had just about had enough, he finally spoke.

“Augustus sent word this morning. I didn’t bother asking for the details, but it seems that you played your part last night well. You should be pleased.”

Elsa wanted to laugh. _She_ should be please. Her father would never be pleased with anything she did, so instead, she should be. Elsa mentally sighed, knowing that was as close to a compliment she was ever going to get from her father.

“Thank you, Father,” she said, keeping her eyes down. A hum was her response. She hadn’t expected anything else. “Was there anything else you needed?”

Her father looked back down on his desk, in clear dismissal. “No, you can leave. Take the rest of the day off.”

Elsa did just that. After she thanked her father she left the office, allowing a smile to grace her face. She felt free for the first time in a long time. She walked down the street, not sure what she should do with her newly acquired free time. Elsa decided a quick cup of hot chocolate would be good until she was able to decide. She made her way towards her favorite café, the belling ringing when she walked through the door.

“Hey Elsa!” called out the barista, waving excitedly at her as she approached the counter. “What can I get you today?”

“Hello, Rapunzel,” Elsa smiled at her. “Can I just get a cup of hot chocolate?”

“I told you, Elsa, call me Punz. Rapunzel just sounds so…proper,” Rapunzel shook her head as she poured Elsa’s order, finishing it off with a healthy dollop of whipped cream. “Here ya go!”

Elsa thanked the girl, paying her for the drink. She walked over to a sofa, and sat, sipping her chocolate, humming in contentment. It had been so long since she’d had chocolate. Her father didn’t approve of sweets. Or anything unhealthy. Which meant by extension that Elsa didn’t approve of sweets or anything unhealthy. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy them when she wasn’t under her father’s watchful gaze.

Rapunzel walked out from behind the counter, unwrapping herself from her apron. “Enjoying yourself, blondie?”

Elsa smiled. “Mmm hmmm.”

The brunette sat down next to her on one of the comfy couches that littered the establishment. “Question.”

“Hmm?” Elsa asked as she sipped her cocoa.

“You’re the daughter of the richest man in this city. Why do you come here for hot chocolate?”

Elsa smiled, knowing the answer easily. “Because it’s the best.”

“You’re just saying that,” Rapunzel blushed.

Elsa still wore a smile, but she squinted. If she didn’t know better… _Is she…flirting with me?_ She looked the girl over covertly. Truth be told, she was cute. Long blonde hair, pretty green eyes. She just wasn’t quite Elsa’s type. But of course, everything hindered on her father thinking she was interested in pursuing an arranged relationship with Hans. Besides, he’d never stood for her more ‘eccentric tastes’, as he put it, anyway. At the first sign that she preferred women to men, he’d taken extreme measures to be sure she knew his of his disapproval.

“Eugene!” Rapunzel squealed when the door’s chime sounded and a dapper brunette walked in.

_Apparently I was mistaken_ , Elsa thought with a smirk displayed as Rapunzel planted a sound kiss on the man’s lips. She took another sip from her cup, looking out the window only to see a familiar redhead sitting across the street. She was next to a large blonde man with a scrappy looking German shepherd laying at her side. The girl didn’t have her guitar this time. Instead, she seemed to be playing with cups, while the blonde picked at a ukulele. Elsa watched the two for a few minutes, noticing that they didn’t seem to be having any trouble shaking down people that passed them by.

Elsa finished off her drink, deciding she wanted—no, _needed_ —to hear the redhead sing again. There was something about her that seemed to wash away the ugliness and pettiness she had to deal with simply because she was her father’s daughter. She quickly exited the café, and crossed the street. The redhead didn’t notice her approach right away, but the dog sure did. The minute Elsa got too close, his ears perked up and he gave her a light growl. At this, the redhead looked up, smiling when she recognized the blonde.

“Hey! Blondie! Didn’t think I’d see you again so soon!” the redhead called out, waving for Elsa to come closer.

Elsa smiled and obeyed, eyeing the dog cautiously.

“This one’s for you, gorgeous,” the redhead winked up at her, causing Elsa to blush furiously.

_What was that?_ Elsa wondered.

Before she could contemplate her reaction any further, the girl began to skillfully twirl and tap on a cup, a simple, but catchy melody forming. The man with the ukulele began strumming and the young redhead’s teal eyes met Elsa’s gaze as she began to sing.

_“I've got my ticket for the long way 'round_   
_Two bottle whiskey for the way_   
_And I sure would like some sweet company_   
_And I'm leaving tomorrow. What d'you say?”_ (Kendrick)

At the last line, the redhead gave Elsa another wink and a playful smirk. Elsa swallowed, continuing to listen as she played with her collar fretfully. What was this girl doing to her? Why did she even interest her in the slightest?

The redhead finished the song and the blonde man gave a flourish as he finished out the chords. A small crowd had formed and they clapped. A young boy bolted to give the performers a dollar and Anna stood to bow for him, making him giggle. When she stood, she met Elsa’s gaze, holding out her hat with an expectant glint in her eye.

Elsa dug into her purse without a second thought, pulling out another twenty for the girl.

“Thanks,” the redhead said softly. “This uh…feeds me tonight, ya know?”

Elsa nodded, gulping, and taking a step back. Her heart was beating too fast, her breath was too rapid, and her skin was too warm. She felt feverish as the girl drew closer.

“Easy,” the redhead chuckled, patting the air and backing up as well. “I won’t bite. I just wanted to introduce myself, but I won’t get too close. I probably don’t smell like daisies,” she laughed. “My name’s Anna. I just thought you should know. And I’m not an alcoholic or druggie or anything. Again, just thought you should know.”

“I, um, I didn’t think you were, Anna,” Elsa muttered, cursing herself that she couldn’t seem to articulate the way she wanted to. She extended a hand towards the redhead without a second thought. “Chm. I’m Elsa.”

Anna eyed Elsa’s hand warily, as if she didn’t believe the blonde was actually offering her a handshake. She gingerly gripped Elsa’s hand, slowly shaking it, a smile growing on her face.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Elsa,” she said, giving the blonde’s hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it.

“The pleasure’s mine,” Elsa smiled back, resisting the urge to wipe her hand off on her skirt. “I should go.”

“I’m sure,” Anna smiled. “I hope I see you again. When I’m not on this corner, I hang out at the university. I blend in with the grunge crowd,” she laughed heartily.

Elsa chuckled awkwardly. “Right. Okay, Anna. Good luck.” With that, Elsa turned 180 degrees on her heels, holding herself.

_What the hell was_ that? Elsa thought, keeping a quick pace as she left the redhead and company. _Come on Elsa, keep it together. You_ cannot _screw things up with Hans, or father will crucify you. Forget it._

Elsa reached her apartment, thankful that her father had allowed her this small sanctuary. She’d had to beg and plead him to allow her to live on her own, but in the end, he’d agreed. Of course, he had to be the one to pick her place of residence, but she could live with that. After all, he had chosen quite well, picking a large flat in one of the more wealthy parts of the city. She didn’t think she could’ve done much better.

Elsa opened her door, and her ears are immediately filled with the sounds of mewling. The second she stepped into the flat, Olaf was glued to her legs, purring up a storm. Elsa automatically reached down and scooped the small white cat into her arms, before walking over to her couch, patting Marshmallow’s head as she sat. Once she had adjusted, Olaf settled comfortably on her lap, purring in contentment. Elsa smiled and turned on the TV, picking a show at random. She settled on some crime show or other—they were all the same to her—and let her mind wonder. And the first place it went was Anna.

_I wonder if she has somewhere to go tonight_ , Elsa thought, mindlessly petting Olaf. _I hope she at least has shelter. It’s awfully cold outside…Wait, why do I care? She just some homeless vagrant._ Elsa flinched at her own thoughts, immediately feeling guilty for thinking them. That was her father speaking, not her. It wasn’t fair to judge Anna based on her residence—or lack thereof. She didn’t know the girl, or why she was in the situation she was in.

Elsa shook her head to clear her mind. She didn’t need to be thinking of Anna. She _shouldn’t_ be thinking of Anna. She knew what would happen if her father found out she was giving a homeless woman money, much less talking to her. She just needed to forget about the girl. Elsa let out a sigh, and shifted her thoughts to something—anything—else. But try as she might, she couldn’t get those bright teal eyes out of her mind.

~.~.~.~.~

Works Cited

Paramore. “The Only Exception.” _Brand New Eyes._ Fueled by Ramen, 2010. Digital download.

Kendrick, Anna. “Cups.” _Pitch Perfect (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)._ Republic, Ume, 2013. Digital download.

~.~.~.~.~


	2. Chapter two

~.~.~.~.~

Chapter two

Despite telling herself to forget about Anna, Elsa couldn’t help but to return to listen to the redhead’s music every day for the rest of the week. And every day, Anna had a new ‘instrument.’ Elsa was amazed by the girls’ variety, and she was very skilled with each new tool she used. So far Elsa had seen Anna play buckets set up as a make-shift drum set, the blonde boys’ ukulele, and even spoons, much to her amazement. Each day was something new. And each day, Elsa was sure to give the girl a generous donation, earning a smile and a ‘thanks’ from the redhead each time.

Elsa almost hated to admit it, but listening to Anna’s music seemed to make her days better. There was just something about her music that lightened her heart after a long day of dealing with her father. She knew she shouldn’t be fraternizing with a homeless girl—she cringed to think of what her father would say—but she did it anyways. Anna seemed to have a way of bringing a smile to her face.

 _I wonder what she’ll play today_ , Elsa thought, walking to Anna’s usual corner. She was surprised to see the redhead and the large blonde—who Elsa had learned was named Kristoff—were sitting empty handed. _Are they not performing today?_

As she approached, Sven—the German shepherd—perk his ears, and barked happily, bringing Anna and Kristoff’s attention to her. Anna immediately smiled, waving enthusiastically at her. Kristoff, on the other hand, scowled.

“Elsa!” Anna called out, standing when the blonde was a few feet away. “Hiya!”

Elsa giggled slightly at the girl, bringing her hand to cover her smile. “Hello Anna,” she answered the beaming redhead. “How are you today?”

“Always so proper,” Anna chuckles, before turning her nose up. “I’m doing wonderfully, dear,” she said in an awful British accent. “Indubitably so.”

This time Elsa can’t help but laugh out loud, though still refined, and even Kristoff smirked at the girl. After a few minutes, the blonde regained her composer, wiping a tear from her eye. “Where are your instruments today?”

“Sir Kristoff and meself, milady, will be performing what is called ‘beatbox’ in the vernacular,” she continued to tease Elsa.

Elsa nodded, bowing her head and sweeping her hand in front of her slowly. “Proceed Maestro.”

Anna grinned and began.

Blonde brows immediately shot up. She’d never heard such talent using nothing but one’s own voice and lips. Kristoff served as the bass and backbeat while Anna making clicking sounds and…Elsa smiled broadly when she recognized the melody to be the Super Mario Bros theme. She could almost see Mario jumping from pipe to pipe and squishing his enemies. Her father would just about have a heart attack if he knew how many wee hours of the morning she’d spent hidden in her closet with a Gameboy just barely above silent with her headphones in.

The two street performers ended with the triumphant rhythm that always played at the end of a level and Kristoff finished with firework sounds. Next, they began beatboxing a more recent song, and Elsa raised an impressed eyebrow when Anna stepped out in front to sing.

_"Party rock is in the house tonight  
_ _Everybody just have a good time  
_ _And we gonna make you lose your mind  
_ _We just wanna see ya shake that ass"_

Elsa couldn’t help but laugh out loud as Anna began to dance to the beat. The girl was actually pretty good. Strike that, Anna was _really_ good. Elsa couldn’t believe the redhead knew how to dance like that. Anna turned her head, and winked at Elsa as she continued, causing the blonde to blush. The redhead then took up the beat, and Kristoff stepped forward, continuing the beat. Elsa’s eyes widen when he began to sing, not expecting him to be just as good as Anna. Kristoff paused for a second, and Anna jumped back out in front.

_“Everyday I'm shufflin'”_

The redhead began to dance around again, performing moves that Elsa had never seen before. She smiled in elation just watching Anna, wishing she had that kind of courage as the girl continued to sing.

_“Shufflin', shufflin'_

_Step up fast and be the first one to make me blow this cash  
We gettin' money, don't be mad now, stop—”_

Both Kristoff and Anna froze, throwing their hands up, palms out.

_“—hating is bad"_ (LMFAO)

Anna, a large smile on her face, began to jump, clapping her hands together, and encouraging the ever-growing crowd to do the same. Anna and Kristoff continue until they finish the song, earning a very loud round of applause. Elsa clapped along giddily as if she were a child. She hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. Anna bowed, panting, a large smile on her face as several people began dropping coins and bills into their container of the day—Kristoff’s beanie.

“That was amazing!” Elsa exclaimed as the two gathered their earnings. “I’ve never heard anything like it!”

“Thanks!” Anna responded, glancing down at the beanie. Elsa, knowing what the girl wanted, cleared her throat awkwardly. Now was her chance.

“Chm, I actually don’t have any cash on me today,” she started, and Anna’s face fell slightly, though she never stopped smiling.

“That’s okay, Elsa. I can’t expect you to keep me ‘n Kris fed all our lives,” she said a little dejectedly. “I understand.”

“Wait, you didn’t let me finish,” Elsa said, smiling softly at the redhead. “I was going to say, I don’t have any cash, so how about I buy the two of you lunch instead?”

Anna and Kristoff’s heads whipped around so quickly, Elsa swore she heard a snap. And they had two very different reactions. Where Anna beamed, looking like a kid in a candy store, Kristoff scowled again, looking incredibly miffed.

“Hell yeah!” Anna exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. “Thank you, Elsa! I’d hug you, but those clothes look incredibly expensive.”

“A-chm,” Kristoff cleared his throat, drawing the two girls’ attention to him. “Um, Anna, can I talk to you for a second? Alone?”

Anna furrowed her brow at the boy, but nodded, walking over to him. Elsa took as step back to give them some more privacy, but she still heard Kristoff’s angry whisper.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snarled at Anna. The girl raised her brows at him, her hands coming to her hips.

“Um, getting us lunch?” she answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “What’re _you_ doing?”

“Anna, we hardly even know her,” Kristoff retorts, jerking a thumb towards Elsa, who was beginning to feel very uncomfortable. “She could be some psycho killer or something!”

“So? She can’t buy us one meal? And I hardly doubt she’s trying to murder us, Kristoff!” Anna threw her hands up in the air dramatically. “Besides, I’m hungry. And I _know_ you’re hungry too.”

“Am not!” Kristoff responded indignantly, crossing his arms.

“Really? When was the last time you ate?” Anna accused him hotly. “And I mean _really_ ate? Not those stupid little crackers with ketchup on them.”

Kristoff narrowed his eyes at the redhead. “We don’t need her charity, Anna.”

At this point, Elsa had begun to shift and squirm uncomfortably. She hadn’t meant to upset anyone. She just wanted to make sure they got a hot meal for once. She had seen Kristoff eating the aforementioned crackers, and the thought of Anna eating only that had bothered her more than she cared to admit. The redhead was thinner than she should have been.

“Chm,” Elsa cleared her throat, causing Anna and Kristoff to look over at her. “Look, I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. I’ll…I’ll just go.”

With that she turned and walked off, hugging her middle. She had just wanted to do something good for once, but apparently she couldn’t even do that right.

“Damn it, Kris!” she heard Anna hiss, before the redhead called after her. “Elsa, wait! Come back!”

Elsa ignored the girl and continued walking until she felt a hand close over her upper arm, stopping her.

“Elsa, wait,” Anna huffed behind her, forcing her to turn around. She put her hands on Elsa’s shoulders. “Please, just wait. Look, I’m sorry about Bone-head over there. He’s just…he can be a little prideful sometimes. He didn’t mean anything by it, I swear.”

Elsa nodded, not meeting the redhead’s eyes. “It’s okay, Anna. I understand, you don’t need to apologize.”

“Yes I do,” Anna insisted. “You’ve been nothing but nice and super generous all week, and he’s just been an ass.”

Elsa finally looked up, only to flinch when she comes face to face with Anna. She looked into the girls teal eyes, and smiled softy, relaxing a bit. “Thank you, Anna.”

The girl smiled widely at Elsa, revealing surprisingly white teeth. “Anytime!”

Elsa chuckled softly. They stood there for a few more seconds, Anna’s hands still on Elsa’s shoulders as she beamed at the blonde. Elsa blushed, realizing their proximity, and coughed awkwardly. Anna started, immediately dropping her hands, turning bright red.

“Chm, anyways,” the redhead said, looking a tad bit uncomfortable, judging from the way she pulled at her collar. “Is that lunch offer still on the table?”

Elsa smiled, giggling behind her hand. “Of course,” she said, dipping her head slightly.

Anna smiled again, pumping her fist in the air. “All right!”

Elsa chuckled again. Anna’s happiness was infectious. “Kristoff is still invited as well, if he wants.”

Anna glanced back at Elsa, her eyebrow raised. “Seriously? You’re a saint. The guy practically called you a psycho. Actually, he did. He straight up called you a psycho, and you’re still going to feed him?”

Elsa laughed and shrugged. “He’s right. You don’t know me from Eve.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “You’re too nice, you know that?” she looked down at her duct-taped shoes, scuffing them and glanced back up at Elsa with a bashful smile.

Elsa tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. “I’ll wait for you to get him.”

“Great. Be right back,” Anna flashed her a brighter smile and dashed for Kristoff. Elsa watched her drag the dirty blonde— _really_ dirty blonde—forward. She took them to a nearby sandwich shop. She’d picked it out the day before, not wanting to make them uncomfortable by going to a place that was too fancy or a place that might insult them. Years of training in social etiquette had its perks.

Still, she checked with Anna. “Is this all right?” she asked as she opened the door for the girl.

“This is fantastic, Els,” the redhead grinned. “I _love_ sandwiches!”

The blonde beamed as Anna stepped through the doorway. No one had ever called her any sort of nickname before. It was…nice. Her face sobered when Kristoff walked passed her. He was fixing quite possibly the angriest scowl he had given her to date. He pointed two fingers at his eyes then flicked them in her direction. Apparently Kristoff wanted Elsa to know he was watching her. She blinked rapidly in surprise, but remained cool and collected as she followed him in.

They settled at a table by one of the widows, Anna and Kristoff on one side, Elsa on the other. The waiter appeared at the table, inquiring about their drinks.

“Dr. Pepper!” Anna exclaimed, a large smile on her face. “I haven’t had one of those in _so_ long!”

Kristoff rolled his eyes before asking for the same.

“I’ll just have a water, please,” Elsa said, before thanking the waiter, and opening a menu. She had never been here, and wasn’t quite sure what they had. Anna, on the other hand, had already picked out what she wanted, and was bouncing up and down impatiently.

“Calm down, Red,” Kristoff said, holding her down by her shoulders. “He’ll get here when he gets here.”

“I can’t help it, Kris!” Anna responded. “I just love sandwiches!”

Elsa giggled at the redhead’s eagerness, earning another scowl from Kristoff when Anna wasn’t looking. _What the hell is his problem?_ Elsa thought, her brows furrowing.

Her thoughts are interrupted when the waiter returned with their drinks, and took their order. Both Kristoff and Anna ordered the largest sandwich on the menu—after Elsa had assured them that they could get whatever they wanted—a triple decker six meat, four cheese monster that weighed close to four pounds. Elsa, being much more self-conscious of her eating habits, settled for a simple grilled cheese.

When the waiter left to place their orders, Elsa had to hold back her laughter as Anna immediately downed her entire drink in one go. The girl must not have been lying when she said it had been a while since she’d had one.

“Jesus, Anna!” Kristoff exclaimed, a smile on his lips. “You’d think you’ve never had a soda before! Or been out in public!”

“Ugh!” Anna groaned after slamming the plastic cup down on the table. “Brain freeze.”

“Duh,” Kristoff laughed.

Elsa merely watched, enjoying the look of pure joy Anna was radiating. It was so refreshing. No one in her life even appreciated the finest wines money could buy, but here this girl was…being Anna. The more she observed the girl, the more she came to realize there was something different about her. Aside from the talent she displayed for strangers daily, there was an undying kindness in her eyes, and…faith. What must it be like to have that? To never doubt yourself or others, even when faced with homelessness?

Elsa was once again pulled from her thoughts when the waiter returned with two large sandwiches, a grilled cheese, and another Dr. Pepper for Anna. This time, Kristoff made the redhead use a straw and “savor” the taste.

Anna looked from her sandwich to Elsa and the blonde blanched at seeing tears coming to Anna’s eyes. “Anna? Anna, what’s wrong?” she asked.

Kristoff smirked.

“I have been waiting for this moment,” Anna steeples her fingers together in front of her, “it feels like, my entire life,” she chokes out, a smile on her lips as tears begin to fall. She holds the sandwich up to her eye-level, looking at it with reverence.

“Oh my god,” Kristoff laughed. He glances up at Elsa, giving her a smile for once. “Don’t worry about this. Some people have a drink limit—Anna has an emotion limit. Anything that makes her too happy, or sad, and she falls apart.”

“Oh no,” Elsa knit her brows. “I’m so sorry, Anna.”

“No, Kristoff’s right,” Anna said through her sobs, barely audible above Kristoff’s bellowing. “If I’m not between a three and a seven on the emotional scale,” she waves her hand, “I’m crying.”

“You haven’t even seen it yet!” Kristoff grinned at Anna. Elsa can’t help a small smile that formed on her lips as well. She was ridiculously adorable.

“I’m so excited,” Anna says between sobs.

Elsa coughed. “Where are you on the scale right now, Anna?”

“Eleven,” Anna cries.

“Well go on. Open it,” Kristoff chuckles, and nudges Anna to unwrap her sandwich, doing the same with his.

Anna gingerly unfolds the sandwich as if it were a newborn. It had been toasted, and when she opened the sandwich itself to reveal the meat, cheese, and veggies, it steamed. Anna blubbered adoringly “Hi, sandwich!”

 _So cute,_ Elsa thought as she giggled at the redhead. Then her eyes widen to the size of saucers as Anna and Kristoff proceeded to tear into their meal like starved animals. Never in her twenty-one years of life had she seen such table manners. There was sauce and lettuce flying everywhere, and sleeves were used as napkins—though they weren’t all that clean to begin with. This was nothing like the environment Elsa had grown up in.

It was actually quite refreshing. That, and the fact that Anna seemed to have a very healthy appetite, unlike all the prissy girls Elsa had grown up with. The redhead amazed her by finishing her sandwich in under five minutes, leaving both her and Kristoff in the dust. Anna sighed contentedly, patting her stomach and leaning back in her seat.

Elsa giggled. “Feel better now?”

Anna giggled in return. “Yes. Much better. Sorry for my meltdown,” she blushed.

Shaking her head to wave off the apology, Elsa chuckled. “Happy tears are nothing to apologize for, Anna.”

Through a bite, Kristoff scoffed, sending a few pieces of lettuce flying onto the table. “You can apologize to me. Sheesh. Can’t take you anywhere, Anna. This is why we can’t have nice things.”

Elsa was about to retort angrily on behalf of the girl, but the redhead started giggling again. “Shut up,” she said, punching Kristoff’s shoulder playfully.

The burly blonde gave Anna a wink and Elsa felt a stab of something unfamiliar. She frowned, not certain what it had been, but she was suddenly curious about something. “How long have you two been together?”

Kristoff’s and Anna’s eyes widen as they stared at her. Kristoff is mid-bite and Anna has her lips sealed around her Dr. Pepper’s straw.

Anna choked on her drink, a laugh escaping her. “Woah, woah, woah! You thought Kristoff and me…” she slapped the table as she continued to laugh in hysterics.

Kristoff rolled his eyes. “Gee, thank, Anna.”

“Oh come on,” Anna swatted him, still chuckling. “You know you’re not my type. _Really really_ not my type.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kristoff made a shooing motion at her, taking another large bite of his sandwich.

Elsa smiled, feeling…relieved. She couldn’t place why, but for some reason she felt better when Anna had denied being in a relationship with Kristoff. And what did the redhead mean by ‘not her type?’ Elsa shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts, as the waiter returned, asking if they were interested in dessert. She was about to decline, but the hopeful, almost pleading look in Anna’s eyes stayed her tongue.

“Anna?” she turned to the redhead. “Would you like something?”

Anna looked at her in shock, before a large grin crossed her face.

“Um, sure,” she tried to wave off nonchalantly, earning another eye roll from Kristoff. “Shut up, Kris,” she glares playfully at him before looking at the menu, and pointing. “I’ll have, uh, that!”

Elsa glanced down, and smiled when she saw Anna had chosen the double chocolate devil’s food cake. _So she’s just as much of a chocoholic as I am._

The waiter nodded, cleaning up their plates, and returning a few minutes later with the biggest piece of cake Elsa had ever seen.

There were three spoons, but Elsa didn’t take hers up, and Anna just about ate Kristoff’s thumb when it got in the way of Anna’s ravenous appetite. The dessert was all but gone with one last piece with the perfect balance of ice cream, fudge, and cake left when Anna scooped it up in a new spoon and held it out in front of Elsa.

Elsa’s heart hammered against her chest, dipping to take the offered bite. Her eyes remained locked with Anna’s as she pulled away, but her eyes closed when she finally tasted the chocolate on her tongue. She moaned softly then chuckled. “Thank you, Anna.”

She looked back at the redhead to see a prominent blush displayed along with a stunned gaze, and she felt her own cheeks warm.

Anna blinked away her stunned expression, morphing her features into a grin. “It was good, huh?”

Kristoff pouted. “Not like I would know.”

Anna gave him a nervous giggle. “Uh sorry. You know how I get with chocolate.”

Snorting, Kristoff chuckled. “Yeah,” he looked to Elsa. “Whenever we go to this one shelter that has cocoa in the morning, Anna is the first in line.”

Elsa smiled warmly at the girl. For some reason she now wanted nothing more than to make sure Anna had a hot chocolate anytime she wished. She decided to make a mental note of it, and leaned against the back of their booth. “Anything else either of you would like?” she smiled.

“No, no,” Anna shook her head. “You’ve been too generous already. Thanks, Els.”

“My pleasure,” Elsa assured her, and Anna’s lips smiled back at her.

“Yeah, um…” Kristoff regained their attention. “Thanks, Miss.”

“You’re welcome,” Elsa nodded.

Anna eyed Kristoff, her brows furrowed as she elbowed the blonde. “Isn’t there something else you would like to tell her?” she pressed, causing Kristoff’s cheeks to tint pink.

“Chm, um, yeah,” he cleared his throat awkwardly, not meeting Elsa’s confused gaze as he scratched the back of his neck nervously. “I’m, uh, I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to like, insult you or anything. I’m just not used to people being that kind, is all.”

Elsa blinked rapidly, before smiling kindly at the dirty blonde. “Forget it,” she waved him off. “No hard feelings.”

Anna beamed at Elsa, and Kristoff gave her a small, thankful smile. After a few more minutes, Anna stood and Kristoff followed suit. Elsa rose as well, walking with them as they exited. She picked up a couple bags of chips from the front, leaving money on the counter. “Wait,” she called as Kristoff and Anna began to make their way to their corner. “Here. You’ll probably be hungry in a few hours again.”

Anna grinned, taking the chips. “Yeah, I’m pretty much always hungry. Fact of life when you’re cold on the streets.”

Elsa just stood there, unsure what else to say.

“Well, thanks again,” Anna saluted her. “Will we see you tomorrow?”

Elsa smiled. “Yes, I think so.”

“Great!” Anna beamed. “See you then, Els!”

Elsa waved her fingers as they left. “See you,” she said to herself with the brightest smile she’d worn in ages.

~.~.~.~.~

Works Cited

LMFAO. “Party Rock Anthem.” _Sorry for Party Rocking_. will.i.am, Cherrytree, Interscope, Panther 2011. Digital download.

~.~.~.~.~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I totes got the inspiration for Anna's little 'melt down' from Kristen Bell herself. If you would like to see what I'm talking about, go to YouTube, and check out her sloth melt down, then watch the auto-tuned version as well. They are both hilarious. Thanks!


	3. Chapter three

~.~.~.~.~

Chapter three

Elsa smiled as she approached Anna, handing the redhead a large hot chocolate. She had waited a few weeks before buying her one, not wanting to seem too eager to help her, especially after the way Kristoff reacted to the lunch, even if he had apologized.  

“What’s this for?” Anna beamed at her. “I haven’t even played anything or done anything to deserve this yet.”

Unable to stop herself, Elsa said “You deserve this just being you, Anna.” As soon as the words had left her mouth, Elsa’s eyes widened in alarm. What was it about this girl that made her lose track of herself? She had years and years of experience holding her tongue thanks to her father. Why did Anna make all of that disappear?

Anna’s eyes had widened as well, but they’d quickly softened as the redhead gave her an unusually shy smile. “Um, thanks, Els.”

At the same time, Elsa and Anna took a healthy whiff of their cocoas, closing their eyes to savor the chocolate smell. They both hummed in contentment, saying “Mmmm, chocolate.” They giggled and gazed a little nervously at each other. Taking their first sips, they both hummed again in appreciation.

“Wow, Els. This is by far the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had,” Anna licked her lips.

“I know!” Elsa agreed. “It’s from the shop across the street. I go every day.”

“That’d be nice,” Anna smiles at her genuinely.

_You’ll have one everyday too as long as you’d like, Anna_ , Elsa thought to herself, wondering not for the first time what compelled her to make this girl smile as often as possible. Rather than admitting her sentiment aloud, she merely hummed in agreement. “What’s in your repertoire today? I’m just waiting for the day you bust out with some Ozzy Osbourne.”

Anna gaped at her. “I’m surprised someone like you even knows his music.”

“Someone like me?” Elsa quirked a brow, a smirking smile gracing her lips.

“I mean, you know, someone really um sweet and well…” Anna hesitated, looking away for a second before deadpanning, “rich.”

Elsa laughed, throwing her head back a little. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had made her laugh like this. Had anyone ever? “I believe Mr. Osbourne is quite rich himself. For all you know, we’re very good friends.”

It was Anna’s turn to arch a brow and Elsa couldn’t help laughing again. Anna grinned. “You’re beautiful when you laugh.” She clapped a hand over her mouth immediately.

Elsa felt herself rouge at the compliment. She cleared her throat softly. “Um, thanks, Anna.”

“Anyway,” Anna looked away. “I’m actually thinking of taking the day off. Kristoff got an under-the-table type job for the day and people hassle me a lot more if I don’t have him around. Better to lie low.”

“Ah,” Elsa said, an unwelcome tinge of anger surfacing at the idea of someone ‘hassling’ Anna.

“Say,” Anna regarded her once again with a sly smile. “What’re you up to today?”

Arching a brow, Elsa thought about it. “Nothing, really. I work for my father’s company, so I usually choose what to fill my day with. We’re in the middle of attempting a…” she paused, her father’s paranoia taking hold of her, “merger of sorts, so I’m actually busiest at night in…meetings.”

“Oh!” Anna said, but from the look on her face, Elsa wondered if she’d followed any of her vague ramblings. In Anna’s place, she probably wouldn’t have.

“So…wanna hang out?” Anna asked.

Elsa chuckled. “Hang out? What would we do?”

Anna shrugged. “I dunno. Just walk around and stuff.”

Elsa grinned. “I have a better idea. Wait here.”

Anna furrowed her brows, but nodded. “All riiiiiight.”

Elsa walked a few paces away to speak with her driver for a moment before returning to the girl. “Okay, this way.”

Elsa walked them to the nearest block corner where her driver waited to open the door for them. Luckily Kai was one of the only workers in the entire company she knew was completely loyal to her above anyone else, including her father. Every once and a while she needed an escape and Kai always obliged. There had been a number of times he’d driven her as far away from the company as possible—one time they’d even hit the ocean before they’d had to turn back—and he never breathed a word of it to her father.

“Holy popsicle sticks,” Anna whistled. “This is your car?” she asked, looking at the black Lincoln sedan as if it were made of pure gold.

“It’s my father’s company car more accurately,” Elsa nodded. “You coming?”

Anna eyed the car warily. “Getting into a car with a stranger is usually not a good idea, but…uh…I’m gonna trust you.”

Elsa nodded, entering after her. Kai closed the door, and Elsa sat beside Anna. “Thank you for trusting me. I promise this’ll be fun.”

Anna pursed her lips to the side. “Okay, but no funny business. This isn’t _Pretty Woman_ and I’m not Julia Roberts,” she laughed.

Elsa grinned, her eyes wide as she laughed too. “And I’m not Richard Gere!”

Anna and she burst into more laughter. “Well,” Anna wiped away a tear. “Glad we got that settled. So where are we headed?”

“Ever had a spa day?” Elsa asked.

Anna rolled her eyes, but still displayed a grin. “’Spa’ isn’t a word that often enters conversation on the street, so no.”

Elsa smiled. “Massages, facial scrubs, saunas and steam rooms—sound good?”

Anna raised a brow. “I’d settle for a shower, so yeah.”

“Great,” Elsa said, patting the girl’s knee in an attempt to put her at ease. She immediately regretted the action. She didn’t want to seem too familiar. In an attempt to recover, she crossed the car to sit on the seat opposite Anna, knocking on the driver’s window.

Kai rolled down the privacy window. “Where may I take you, Miss Arendelle?”

“Oaken’s, please.”

“Straight away,” Kai smiled and rolled the privacy window back up.

~.~.~.~.~

“Whoa,” Anna gasped as they walked into Oaken’s Spa and Sauna. “This place is amazing!”

“Yoo hoo!” a tall and stocky, ginger man called from the front desk. “Velcome, Miss Arendelle.”

“Hello, Oaken. How are you?” Elsa greeted the man with a smile.

“Business is very good, Miss Arendelle. Many thanks,” Oaken beamed proudly.

“And the family?” Elsa asked.

“Yoo hoo!” Oaken waved to the side and a gaggle of children waved back with grins from his office. “Ze family is good too, ya?”

“Wonderful,” Elsa smiled warmly as she waved.

“Vat can ve do for you today, Miss Arendelle?” he asked.

“I’d like to purchase a complete treatment for myself and Miss…” Elsa scrunched her brows, realizing she didn’t know Anna’s last name. She turned to the redhead with a questioning glance.

Anna cleared her throat awkwardly. “Christiansen.”

“Vonderful” Oaken beamed. “Here ya are,” he said, handing Elsa two sets of towels and robes. “You know where ze changing room is, ya?”

“Yes, thank you, Oaken,” Elsa nodded. She turned, motioning for Anna to follow her and they walked into the ladies changing room. “Here you go,” she said, handing Anna the robe and towel. She pointed behind the redhead.

“Wow,” Anna smiled. “I’m surprised he didn’t give me any weird looks or anything.”

Elsa smiled. “First of all, there’s no reason to, and secondly, Oaken is one of the kindest men I know. I think the only reason he’d ever throw anyone out is if they blatantly insulted him.”

Anna nodded.

“Anyway,” Elsa smiled again. “The showers are right back there. Any sort of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and anything else you might need is already in there. They even have razors and nail clippers and things.”

“Great,” Anna took the robe and towel shyly. “What will you do?”

“I took a shower this morning, so I’m going to change into my robe and I’ll wait for you in the sauna. It’s just outside that door,” she said, pointing to the changing room’s back door.

“Okay,” Anna nodded, looking down.

“Is everything all right?” Elsa said. “This isn’t too much or…anything, is it?”

Anna quickly shook her head. “No, no. I’m just…” she looked up to meet Elsa’s eyes. “Grateful. Really grateful. Thank you for this, Elsa.”

Elsa couldn’t help a small frown. Why did she deserve to visit Oaken’s any time she wished while this girl had been handed a completely different life wherein even a shower was a luxury? It wasn’t right. She was happy to remedy the injustice even in this small way. “My pleasure, Anna. Really.”

Anna gave her shy smile, before walking off towards the showers. Elsa watched until she disappeared through the door, before shaking her head, and heading towards the sauna. She quickly changed into her robe, deciding to leave her platinum blonde hair up in a bun, and walked into the steam. She was surprised to find the sauna empty, but not in a bad way. She decided it would probably make it easier on Anna if there wasn’t a bunch of snobby rich women around to judge her. Not that they’d have anything to judge. Anna was beautiful and talented and smart and funny and…Elsa buried her face in her hands. _Oh my god, I totally have a crush on this girl. No wonder I’m acting so stupid._

The sauna door opened and in stepped the redhead, freshly showered. Elsa blushed furiously at the sight, wishing she had a collar to tug, she was so warm. The sauna’s temperature probably wasn’t helping her any except for the excuse for her redness it was providing. Anna was…breathtaking, with her now clean, coppery hair cascading down her back in damp ripples, bringing out her bright teal eyes, and her many freckles no longer hidden underneath layers of dirt and grime. Elsa almost let her jaw go slack at the sight.

Anna cleared her throat.

Realizing that she was oogling the girl, her eyes a little too fixed on a pair of creamy legs, Elsa cleared her throat also, looking away. “Good shower?”

“Yeah, I would’ve stayed in there forever if I could’ve, but I figure I’ll take another before we leave if that’s okay. Didn’t want to keep you waiting too long,” said Anna, running a hand through her hair.

“You’re too kind, Anna. I wouldn’t have minded the wait.”

Anna smiled, sitting on the other side of the L-shaped wooden bench from Elsa. “Still,” the redhead said. She leaned back, closing her eyes and Elsa again averted her eyes. “Did you know they even have toothbrushes and stuff back there? I swear, it’s like hobo paradise. How much trouble do you think I’d get into if I hid and stayed the night?” she laughed.

Elsa chuckled dryly, wishing she could safely offer Anna shelter this evening. She blushed scarlet at the idea of suggesting anything of the sort to the girl. _I’m not Richard Gere. I’m not Richard Gere_ , she chanted to herself.

It was a crush, a silly little crush. So what? Big deal. It’s not like it could or would amount to anything. She had other plans in motion and she wouldn’t put it past her father to drug and stuff the redhead on a bus to Arizona if he found out about her. If anything, she needed to take a step back after today if she wanted to continue seeing Anna at all. It was better to have a small part of her day brightened by Anna than to risk more, right?

“Whatcha thinkin’?” Anna asked, interrupting the silence.

Elsa jolted. “Um…”

“Oops. Sorry, that was probably rude. You don’t have to tell me,” Anna backpedaled. “Your face was just kinda scrunched up like you were confused or something. Cute—it’s a good look for ya,” Anna winked and laughed.

Elsa swallowed, feeling butterflies in her stomach at the sound of Anna’s laughter. “Why, thank you,” she chuckled with her.

They sat in silence a few more moments. Elsa felt her muscles relax and her breathing became deep with fatigue. She had been working late into the night lately. Each cog in the machine of her father’s ruin was doing its work, but she had to constantly double check her own tracks to be sure her father wouldn’t be clued in to anything. If he knew what she was doing… He was nothing short of monstrous to those who opposed him, and she knew she would be no different.

Elsa shook her head, trying to drive away the thoughts. _Relax_ , she told herself. _Try to let it go. Try not to think about it every waking moment. Conceal. Don’t feel._  She managed to take a deep, calming breath in, exhaling slowly, but the blonde jolted when she heard something like a deep growl. Her eyes flashed open, and looking in the direction of the sound, she had to hold a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

Anna was sprawled on the wooden bench, her body twisted in an unnatural, surely uncomfortable position. She’d slung an arm over her eyes and her mouth was agape. A single line of drool displayed itself as the girl let out a few impish snores.

Elsa couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped her. Anna was simply too adorable. She looked at the timer on the wall and noted it had been twenty-five minutes. She knew it wasn’t advisable to stay in here much longer—the sauna would dehydrate someone even in perfect health within a half hour—and she doubted Anna was as well-hydrated as she should be.

She approached the girl gingerly, not wanting to startle her. “Um, Anna?” she said.

The girl only snored in response.

“Anna,” Elsa patted Anna’s freckled shoulder. “Anna, wake up.”

As if a switch had gone off, Anna bolted upright, nearly head-butting Elsa. “I’m awake,” she said groggily. “I’ve been up for hours,” she claimed, throwing out her arms as she yawned cavernously.

Elsa chuckled softly. “Come. We better get you some water.”

They exited the sauna together, and Elsa led Anna to a shelf with crystalline bowl filled with ice-cold water, cucumbers littering the bottom. She handed Anna a glass and took one for herself.

Anna looked at the glass with an arched brow and skepticism otherwise present on her visage. “I didn’t think people actually did the whole cucumber thing in spas. I stand corrected.”

The blonde tucked in her lips as Anna fished for a cucumber slice and ate it whole. If her mother—God rest her frigid soul—had ever seen her do anything of the like, she would have been berated for months. Deciding neither of her parents were here to see it however, she followed suit. Though anyone else might have said the long-drenched cucumber was tasteless, Elsa tasted a small bit of freedom. _How pathetic_ , she thought. _A slice of cucumber. I’m such a rebel._

Anna grinned widely at her. “You’re not supposed to eat ‘em!” she laughed.

Elsa’s brows shot up with incredulity. “You did!”

“I’m homeless!” she said, laughing again. “Sheesh. Didn’t anyone teach you how to be a proper lady growing up, Miss Arendelle?” Anna smirked at her, crossing her arms.

“Shush,” Elsa laughed softly, sitting down on a nearby bench.

Anna joined her and became serious. “Els, can I ask you something?”

Elsa nodded. “Of course.”

“What is this?” Anna asked.

Elsa frowned, tilting her head in question. “What is what?”

“Why are you being so nice to me? What’s in it for you? I mean, if you’re not Richard Gere,” she chuckled awkwardly, “what’s the point of all this? You’ve been coming to see me perform for what, three weeks now?”

Elsa nodded, fidgeting as Anna continued.

“You pay me way more than anyone else ever does; you feed me; now you’re taking me to a spa Am I Eliza Doolittle? You gonna try to pretty me up and parade me to a bunch of your gal pals or something in some kind of charity dog show? I’m sorry Elsa, but my mind is whirling trying to figure it out. What’s the deal?”

Elsa shook her head, disbelieving. “You think I have ulterior motives? Anna, I—”

“No,” Anna sighed, waving a hand in front of her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. You’ve been nothing but nice to me. You didn’t deserve that. That was…that was the street talking. Everyone always wants something for any kindness shown your way where I’m from. I’m sorry.”

Elsa took Anna’s hands in hers, and teal eyes shot to meet hers. “Anna,” she said with practiced authority in her voice. “I promise I want nothing from you. Only…” she paused, realizing for the first time in a very long time, she wanted to speak her mind. “Only to see you smile, to make you happy in some small way. I know nothing I’ve done will really help you in the long run, and my father—” she stopped herself. She’d already said too much. How did Anna do this to her? She took her hands away, bracing her forehead in a palm as she shook her head, looking down. “Anna, I only wish I could do more,” she glanced back up to regard the redhead with a sad smile.

Anna blinked at her for a moment with a small frown. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Elsa echoed. She quirked a brow, sitting up.

“Okay,” Anna nodded. “I’m not gonna look a gift-horse in the mouth. I’d be stupid not to accept any kindness you are generous enough to offer me. You’ve already done a lot so uh, thank you.”

Elsa frowned. _I should be able to do more. Damn my father!_ she grimaced. She composed herself quickly, however. Soon she might very well be free from his suffocating grasp. Soon, she’d be able to really help the girl, without the fear of her father finding out. She gave Anna a half-hearted smile when the girl cleared her throat. “You are most welcome, Anna.”

~.~.~.~.~

Elsa dropped Anna off at her usual corner. She exited the car with the girl and they simply smiled at each for a moment. “Um, here,” Elsa cleared her throat eventually and handed the redhead a $50 bill.

Anna very nearly fell backward with a squawk. “Bah! Elsa! Why would you—”

“I can’t put you up anywhere myself, but I can give you enough to find a hostel or motel for the night.” Elsa shook her head, unable to explain in full. “Please, Anna. Take it.”

Anna furrowed her brow. “I still don’t get it. Why me?”

Elsa smiled at her warmly once again. “Because you’re you.”

~.~.~.~.~

Elsa rolled her neck, reaching to the back of it to massage the stress that always took residence there. The elevator gave its usual chime, opening to the penthouse level of her building—her level. She walked to the front door and opened the door. Setting down her keys, she filed through the mail that had been deposited on the counter for her by her maid.

Elsa was in the middle of opening an envelope when someone cleared their throat. She nearly jumped out of her skin, but upon seeing who it was, she smiled. “Hans.”

“Good evening,” Hans stood, straightening his jacket. “I hope you don’t mind. Your maid, Gothel, granted me entrance.”

“Of course not. I’m running a little late today. I wouldn’t have expected you to wait in your car. I feel absolutely horrible to have kept you waiting at all,” she furrowed her brows slightly to display an expression of self-remonstrance.

Hans smiled at her. “I was not inconvenienced nor do I mind in the slightest, I assure you. Shall we, though?”

“Yes. Let me just freshen up,” she lied. How much fresher can one be than after a day at a spa? “Two minutes,” she promised.

Hans bowed his head and returned to her couch. Olaf moved to join him, but took one whiff and made what Elsa could only describe as a ‘stinky face’ as he chose to breathe through his mouth. Hans was about to pet the animal, but Olaf hissed before he could and dashed off. Elsa frowned as she disappeared into her front bathroom. Olaf was normally such a friendly creature.

She tidied her make-up, reaching for a mascara pen that was in fact, not a mascara pen. Untwisting the lid, she smiled when she saw the usb drive that Hans had deposited inside as her last file shared with him had instructed.

_Good_ , she breathed a sigh of relief. _He’s onboard._

~.~.~.~.~


	4. Chapter four

~.~.~.~.~

Chapter four

Elsa stood outside her father’s office, taking several deep breaths to try to calm herself. He had summoned her, and she had no idea why, which scared the blonde more than she’d care to admit. The first thought that had crossed her mind, of course, was that he’d found out about Anna and Kristoff. After all, she had been visiting the pair for a little over two months now, and there was a very good chance that he’d somehow found out, and if that was the case…no she didn’t even want to think about what would happen if that were true. Elsa inhaled one more time, before timidly knocking on the door.

“Enter,” her father called. Elsa quickly ducked in, closing the door behind her before walking to stand in front of her father’s desk. When he didn’t acknowledge her right away, she cleared her throat, and he finally looked up.

“Chm, you requested my presence?” she said as he stared her down.

Her father regarded her with narrowed eyes. “Take a seat, Elsa.”

_Shit, he knows,_ she thought as she shakily sat down across from him.

“I understand you’ve been taking some liberties you ought not to be taking recently,” he said, folding his arms as he sat back in his seat.

“Father?” she responded, playing dumb. Her heart hammered in her chest and it took all her willpower not to say more.

He sighed. “Very well, I will spell it out for you. Hans is not to visit your apartment in the future.”

Elsa furrowed her brows, but inwardly felt instant relief. “Of course, Father. It was an oversight on my part. I asked him to rendezvous with me at my apartment building for dinner, and was late—”

“How many times have I told you I care not for excuses?” he interrupted her. “It suffices for you to simply state that it won’t happen again which of course it won’t, now, will it?” he asked, though his tone left her without option to argue.

“Of course not, Father,” she said, bowing her head. “It will not happen again.”

“You are an Arendelle, Elsa. Act like it,” he waved her away. “Be sure to finish the reports I left for you on your desk by the end of the day. Augustus Southern asked for them. Apparently you should at least be pleased with the dinner that followed your inappropriate interlude in your apartment.”

Elsa wanted to sigh, but rose to leave instead. All of this bowing to a man that thought himself God would be worth it very soon. The blonde quickly made her way back to her office, where, indeed, there was a large stack of papers on her desk. She sighed, running a hand over her face, before sitting down and pulling the first one in front of her. She was only a few papers in when her phone rang.

“This is Elsa Arendelle,” she said into the receiver, not missing a beat on her paperwork.

“ _Hey sexy lady,”_ she heard the caller purr, and her lips tilted up in a smile.

“Hello Megara,” Elsa responded, chuckling softly when the other woman huffed. “How are you?”

“ _I told you not to call me that blondie!”_ the other woman responded venomously. “ _And I_ was _doing fine until you ruined my good mood.”_

Elsa laughed at her brunette friend. She could practically hear the girl’s pout. “I’m sorry, _Meg_ ,” she chuckled, earning another huff. “What’s up?”

_“Well, me and the girls are going out tonight. Wanna come?_ _Let me rephrase that. You’re coming.”_

Elsa sighed. To say she had a lot on her plate right now would be a ridiculous understatement. “I really don’t have the free time, Meg.”

“ _Make it, bitch!_ ” was the response followed by a boisterous laugh. _“It’s been forever since we all hit the town._ ”

“Who’s we?” Elsa became curious.

_“Who do you think? Us, Aurora, and Merida._ ” Meg answered, and Elsa wondered how the girl was able to _sound_ like she was rolling her eyes.

_Merida_? Elsa thought. _Hmmm, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen her._ Merida was the daughter of a Scotch tycoon—new money. Her father thus disapproved of her and Elsa thus couldn’t get enough of her.

“Okay, Meg. You’re on,” she finally answered.

“ _Damn straight, I’m on. Wear something sexy! We’re gonna get you laid one of these days.”_

Elsa rolled her eyes, smirking. “I’m not interested in the girls we meet at clubs. Their eyes become dollar signs as soon as they see me.”

“ _Aw, let ‘em. After all, can you really blame them? You’re like, the richest—albeit closeted—lesbian in the city. And it’s not like I’m asking you to fall in love, just to get some.”_

Elsa laughed. “You’re relentless.”

“ _Hell yeah I am. Oh crap. My mother’s calling. She could probably sense that I was about to have an ounce of fun tonight. See you later, Els.”_

Meg hung up before Elsa responded. A corner of her lips remained pulled up as she finished the reports for the rest of the day.

~.~.~.~.~.~

“Hey, Els!” Anna greeted Elsa as the blonde handed both her and Kristoff their hot chocolates.

 Elsa smiled in greeting, nodding her head towards the redhead. “Hello, Anna,” she said, earning a smile in return. Then Anna glanced down, and her eyes widened slightly, her cheeks turning red.

“Chm,” Anna coughed, looking back up to Elsa’s face. “Uh, isn’t it a bit cold to be wearing that, Els?”

Elsa cocked her head in confusion, looking down at her dress. She wore a simple black dress, with two thin straps holding it up; the dress fell mid-thigh, and hugged every curve of her body, without making her look too trashy. She loved this dress, because, though it was refined and dignified, it still made her look sexy as hell.

“Oh, the cold never bothered me, actually,” Elsa smirked at Anna’s blush.The girl practically looked like a cherry, and it made Elsa glow with satisfaction. Anna cleared her throat again, looking away from the blonde awkwardly.

“So, Elsa, what’re you all dressed up for? Got a hot date or something?” Kristoff said, drawing Elsa’s attention from the redhead.

“Um, no,” Elsa responded, rolling her eyes at the blonde. “Some friends and I are going out tonight.”

“Out? As in, to a bar?” Anna asked, and Elsa chuckled.

“Yes, Anna. As in to a bar,” she giggled.

Anna rolled her eyes, smiling at Elsa. “Oh hush,” she said, giving the blonde a gentle shove. “So, does that mean you’re going to get crunk?”

Elsa looked at Anna confused. “What?”

“You know, crunk? Turnt up? Juiced?” Anna listed, only causing Elsa to become more confused. Anna rolled her eyes again, grinning. “Drunk Elsa. Are you going to get trashed tonight?”

Elsa’s eyes widened, before she started laughing at the redhead. “Oh,” she chuckled. “Well, that is the general idea when going to a bar with your friends, is it not? Though I wouldn’t say I’ll be _trashed_ per say…”

Anna began to retort, when something caught her eye, causing the redhead’s jaw to drop. Elsa raised an eyebrow, turning to see what had earned such a reaction, before dropping her head in her hands, groaning. _Seriously Meg!?_

Meg was hanging half-way out of the last window of a Hummer limousine. “’Sup bitch?!” Meg asked, her voice slurred.

Elsa buried her face in a palm. Was Meg seriously already drunk? “What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting there?”

“Hey, chill,” Meg said, her eyes almost rolling to the back of her head in her dazed state. “We were on our way, but then we saw that blonde-as-shit hair of yours and knew it was you.”

Elsa quirked a brow. “Just how drunk are you?”

Meg pshawed. “’S nothin’. I wasn’t about to let bitchy Aurora win a shot-off.”

Shaking her head in mildly amused disbelief, she folded her arms. “How many?”

“Um, five. No…seven. Eight?” Meg tried guessing.

Merida stuck her head out, her wild mane of red hair billowing around her. “The lass had twelve,” she grinned in a thick Scottish accent. “Aurora passed out at eleven.” Elsa snickered behind her hand, but Merida looked passed her. “Who’s the pretty filly and the handsome gentleman?”

Elsa smirked, looking back at her friends with their hot cocoa. “This is Anna and Kristoff.”

Meg spoke up once again, “Oh my god, you’re hot!” she called to Anna. “Get in here!”

Anna turned bright red, and looked to Elsa for help, but the blonde only gave her grin. “There’s no point arguing with Meg. Especially drunk Meg. Believe me I’ve tried.”

The strawberry blonde chuckled, still blushing. “I don’t have the right clothes,” Anna whispered to her.

“What was that?” Meg asked rather loudly.

“She said she isn’t dressed to go out, Meg,” Elsa said, trying to save Anna. She had a feeling it was a moot effort.

“Pff!” Meg flailed an arm to wave the idea off. “I’ve got three dresses in here. There’s a green one that would be fucking delicious on you, ginger snap.”

Anna’s eyes widened in horror. “Dress? Ginger snap? Suddenly you’re seeming like the least Richard Gere of all your friends,” she laughed nervously, looking toward Elsa.

Elsa covered her mouth with a hand and mock-gasped. “You dare question my intentions, ginger snap?”

Glaring playfully, Anna walked up to the limo. “I’ll wear the dress if everyone stops calling me that.”

“No deal,” Meg shook her head. “You’re gonna look fucking gorgeous and I get to call you whatever I want.”

Anna gave a worried glance Elsa’s way, and Elsa shook her head to reassure her. “Don’t worry; she’s all talk and straight as an arrow anyway.”

“I’m uh…kinda underage too. I wouldn’t be able to go with you guys anyway,” Anna shrugged sadly.

Elsa let out a single breath of a chuckle. “Trust me, they’ll let you in. The place is owned by a friend.”

“You won’t get in trouble?” Anna scrunched her brows.

The blonde shrugged. “That’s kinda the point of tonight, anyway, right? Tabloids will be tabloids. I’m not worried. My father owns the police chief anyway.” She frowned slightly in return at a thought. “But don’t go if you’re uncomfortable, Anna. And if you did, you certainly wouldn’t be expected to drink. Meg’s just being nice in her very Meg way,” she smiled.

Anna smiled warmly to match her and they simply stood there for a moment until interrupted.

“Come on, Els! Get it and bring the princess!” Meg shouted. “If you don’t hurry, we’re gonna miss all the hoooot chicks!” she sang, causing Elsa to blush and Anna’s eyebrows to shoot up.

Elsa ignored her friend, turning back to Anna. “Would you like to join us? Kristoff can come too, of course.”

Anna nodded, smirking. “Sure. Um, Kristoff?” she looked back to the burly blonde. “You coming?”

Kristoff folded his arms. “Nah, not my scene. Besides…” he wore a far off look.

Anna coughed. “No prob, Kris. See you later?”

“Okay,” Kristoff nodded. “Be careful,” he met Anna’s eyes and the two exchanged something unsaid.

Elsa escorted Anna to her car for her to change in there. “Is Kristoff okay?”

“Yeah,” Anna gave her a sad smile. “Kris has had issues with alcohol in the past. He stays away from it now. Going out with a bunch of people drinking would kinda suck for him.”

“Ah,” Elsa frowned, wishing she had known. She could have handled all this better.

“It’s okay, Els,” Anna touched her arm to regain her attention. “He just knows his limits. It’s a good thing.”

Elsa nodded, but still didn’t feel right. She walked over to Kristoff as Anna crawled into the limo to change. “Hi, Kristoff,” she began awkwardly.

“Elsa?” Kristoff tilted her head.

“Um,” Elsa swallowed, not sure how best to broach the subject with such a proud man. “Since Anna is going to be with me tonight, is there anything I can do for you?”

Kristoff shrugged. “I don’t need any favors. A warm place to sleep that’s free would be the most I could accept.”

Elsa smiled. “I’d like to offer you my driver’s services, then. He can help you find a shelter that isn’t full tonight if you won’t let me do more.”

She almost thought he’d refuse even that, but he nodded eventually. “Thanks.”

“Happily done,” she dipped her head slightly and returned to her car.

Anna emerged from the limo, and Elsa’s eyes widened, as she gulped at the site. The redhead was absolutely _gorgeous_. She was wearing an emerald green lace dress with stockings and boots, and it looked like Meg had forced her to take her hair out of its usual braids, leaving it rippling down her back in gentle copper waves. And if she looked close enough, Elsa could see the small amount of eyeliner and mascara that Meg had no doubt cornered Anna to put on.

“Meg just keeps this stuff in her car?” Anna asked, looking incredibly uncomfortable as she fiddled with the hem, not meeting Elsa’s eyes.

Elsa, still shocked, took a second to collect her thoughts, before smiling and taking the redheads hand gingerly to lead her toward the limo. “She keeps several spares of everything. Once you’ve seen her party, you won’t wonder why,” she chuckled.

Anna raised a brow.

Kristoff approached. “Have a safe night, Anna,” he said, glancing at Elsa who gave him a reassuring nod.

“I will,” Anna patted his forearm. “You too, bro.”

“Don’t worry, Kristoff,” Elsa smiled at the blonde. “I’ll get her back to you safe and sound.”

Kristoff grunted, nodding once, before walking off down the street to borrow Elsa’s car. The two girls watched him leave for a moment, before they both entered the limo, Anna first with Elsa bringing up the rear.

“Finally!” Meg slurs, taking a large gulp of _something_ from whatever bottle she had in her hand. “Now we can get this party started!”

She turned her gaze to Elsa, and gave the blonde a hard glare. “Hey!” she slurred, jabbing a finger at the blonde. “I told you to dress sexy, _hic_ , and buns are not sexy.”

With that, and without warning, she reached over and began messing with Elsa’s hair, earning a surprised squeak from the girl.

“Meg!” she squealed as the brunette worked her fingers through her hair. “Ow! Meg stop it!”

“Just…hold… _still_ ” the other girl retorted, and Elsa had no choice but to comply, crossing her arms and huffing at her friend. She shot Anna a glare when the redhead started chuckling, but it only made her laugh harder. After a few painful minutes, Meg finally pulled away, and Elsa immediately brought her hand to her scalp. Her eyebrows raised when she felt a French braid, something she hadn’t worn in years.

“There!” exclaimed Meg happily, settling back in her seat. “Sexy! Don’t you, _hic_ , agree, Ginger Snap?”

Elsa looked up at the sound of Anna’s new pet name, as was surprised, in a good way, to see her blushing as she looked at the blonde. After a few seconds, Anna shook her head, clearing her throat awkwardly.

“It, chm, it looks good, Els,” she said shyly, looking away from Elsa, who was grinning like an idiot. Elsa then caught Merida making kissy faces at her, and had to physically restrain herself from flipping her the bird.

“All right, now that we’re all sexy-ed up,” Meg exclaimed, pulling Elsa’s attention back to her. “We can get going!”

Anna giggled, and Meg’s attention immediately snapped to the girl. The brunette eyed the redhead for a moment, before patting the seat next to her, coy smile on her face. “And you, Ginger snap,” she practically purred. “You can sit by me.”

Elsa chuckled at Anna’s wide-eyed expression as the limo began to move. She knew Meg was all bark and no bite, but it was still fun to watch Anna turn bright red as she settled next to the other woman, who proceeded to drape an arm over her shoulders. She did, however, feel a pang of jealousy when Meg leaned over and planted a very messy, very drunken kiss on Anna’s cheek. After a few minutes, Anna leaned over to Elsa, still red as a cherry. 

“What did I get myself into?” she whispered to the blonde, horror in her eyes, and Elsa laughed.  

“You don’t want to know,” she responded with a sly smile.

~.~.~.~.~


	5. Chapter five

~.~.~.~.~

Chapter Five

Anna’s eyes were as wide as saucers as the large limousine pulled up in front of the club. The driver opened the door and as soon as they stepped out, a horde of people were on them, doubtless hopeful that partying with a bunch of rich girls would earn them a few free drinks and a good time. Elsa tugged Anna forward at the elbow. “Stick by me,” she said, and Anna nodded.

The bouncer, a man roughly the size of Jupiter, but with a smiling, sweet expression clapped his hands upon seeing them. “Is it my birthday?”

The girls laughed, and Meg sauntered over to him. “Kronk, babe, be sure to only let the best in tonight, got it? Elsa here hasn’t been out in a while and she needs _hic_ bodaciousness.”

Elsa rolled her eyes, and turned to chuckle with Anna, but noted the redhead was suddenly red again. _Is she okay?_

Elsa didn’t have time to ask. Instead as soon as Kronk opened the way for them, Meg swung back to smack her on the ass and drive her forward. “Let’s move, blondie! Before all the good girls figure out they should go home and not with you.”

Sighing, Elsa let herself be dragged into the club with Anna in tow.

Once inside, Meg made it her mission to get them all drinks, giving the rest of them a moment to take the place in. It was just the right mixture of chaos and noise, lights flashing here and there, the bass of the music reverberating through Elsa’s chest. She coughed lightly at the fog that filled the room, but other than that, she was already having a great time. After all, this night was the perfect excuse to be with Anna without it being about her _helping_ her. It was just a night of fun, and she hadn’t bought her a thing. Yet.

“Have you ever had a drink before?” Elsa asked the strawberry blonde that was very nearly clinging to her.

Anna shook her head. “A beer once or twice.”

“Once or twice, eh?” Elsa smirked at her. She rested her hand on top of Anna’s that was holding her arm. “Come. Let’s find you something you like.”

Meg, as was tradition, was flirting with the burly bartender. “What? Hercules? You sure you don’t mean Hunk-ules?” she bit her bottom lip.

The man laughed, pouring her drink, then turned to Elsa. “What can I get you?”

“I’ll have a cold-front and my friend is new to the ways of becoming sloppy. What would you recommend?”

“Something fruity that she can’t taste the alcohol in, I’d say,” he smiled at Anna. “Ever had sex on the beach?”

Eyes wide with alarm, Anna coughed before she could answer. “Wait, what?”

Elsa chuckled. “It’s a drink.”

Hercules nodded. “Lots of fruit juice and some vodka, basically. Sound good?”

“Okay,” Anna said, smiling.

“I’ll join her actually,” Elsa decided, wanting to tease Anna a bit more. “Sex on a beach sounds delicious.”

Anna mock-glared, swatting Elsa playfully. The bartender laughed at the two girls’ antics as he poured their drinks.

Meg slung an arm over Anna’s shoulders. “Okay, ginger snap, I got us a table.”

“Hey, I thought I was ginger snap,” the bartender pretended to be offended.

Seemingly confused, Meg looked back and forth between Anna and Hercules half a dozen times. “’S okay. I’ll call you wonder boy,” she said with a firm nod.

“Do me a favor, Miss Arendelle?” Hercules asked her.

Elsa quirked a brow.

“Make sure Meg gets home safe tonight?” he continued.

Smiling, Elsa nodded. “Of course. All for one and one for all. Do me a favor and don’t let her have any more drinks,” she laughed.

Hercules laughed. “Deal.”

Meg leaned in to whisper in Anna’s ear rather loudly. “I’ll just get Aurora to get ‘em for me.”

Elsa pulled Anna closer, not above admitting (at least to herself), that she didn’t like Meg being so friendly with the redhead. “Don’t plan on it, Meg. She’s already passed out again,” she said, pointing to the table Aurora was currently face-planting.

Meg made a whining noise as they all made their way to the table. Elsa moved to scooch next to Aurora in the booth, leaving room for Anna, but Meg grabbed Anna, seating her next to the brunette instead.  Elsa sighed as Meg tucked a strand of Anna’s hair behind an ear.

Anna’s response was priceless. She stopped Meg mid-stroke of her hair and said “Man you have a type, don’t you?”

“Huh?” Meg asked, lowering her hand.

Elsa smirked. “Someone likes the giiinnnnngerrrrs,” she teased.

Merida leaned in to Meg from her other side. “Aye, but alas, she hasn’t mauled me yet tonight.”

“Oooh,” Meg ignored the rest of them, propping Anna’s chin up with her forefinger. “Ginger snap is feisty.”

“Lay off already,” Elsa half-chuckled. Normally she found Meg’s drunken flirtatiousness amusing, but it was annoying her more and more as the night wore on.

Merida stood to join Elsa at the other side of the booth. She spoke in hushed tones. “Everything okay, lass?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Elsa sighed once again.

“So you’re not ready to take yer dear friend Meg’s head off because she’s pawing your girlfriend?”

“ _My girlfriend!”_ Elsa nearly shrieked, and clapped her hands over her mouth. Luckily the club was in such a roar that no one had noticed her outburst.

“Aye, the pretty filly you brought with us tonight.”

Elsa shook her head. “We’re not dating,” she insisted, glancing back at Anna to be sure she hadn’t heard Merida. The last thing Elsa needed was the girl feeling uncomfortable around her.

Merida raised a skeptical eyebrow, and leaned back in the booth, crossing her arms. “Why not, lass? Ye both seem keen.”

Shrugging with a skeptical grimace, Elsa shook her head. “Wait…both?”

Merida smiled at her knowingly. “Aye,” she answered, her eyes traveling across the table toward Anna and Meg.

Elsa followed her eyes, and stifled a giggle. Anna had just swatted Meg’s overly friendly hands away. In the least, the girl didn’t seem interested in Meg. But could she really be interested in the blonde? Elsa shook her head slightly to clear her head. She shouldn’t even be thinking about this. Even if Anna had feelings for her, it’s not like she could do anything about it. Not with her father breathing down her neck.

Elsa sighed, finishing off her drink, only to find a second being shoved under her nose as Anna settled next to her.

“Here,” Anna said with a small smile, “You look like you need another.”

Elsa smiled, accepting the drink. “Thanks, but what about you?”

“I’m okay,” Anna shrugged. “I think you need to let loose tonight a bit more than I do. You’ve seemed stressed lately.”

Frowning, Elsa’s head nearly snapped to regard Anna. “I have?” _That’s not good. Who else has noticed a change?_

“Well...” Anna thought on it. “I mean I’ve only really noticed that you get lost in your thoughts more often lately. Like while I’m performing, you’re all there, but if Kristoff and I get talking while you’re around, you’re somewhere else.”

Elsa pursed her lips to the side. “I apologize.”

“Don’t be silly,” Anna waved the apology away. “I’m just saying I’m glad you have friends that’ll take you out like this. I mean, it’s not like I can—” Anna looked down, taking up a glass of water as if she wanted to swallow her words.

Years of learning to read others had honed Elsa’s abilities to fill in the unspoken. Despite her efforts, and her friends’ inattention to their difference in ‘class status’ or whatever vulgarity one might call it, between Anna and them, Anna still _felt_ that difference.

Elsa glanced out of the corner of her eye at the dance floor warily. They were mere steps away. And all of this…It wasn’t Elsa’s fault that, if she were being honest with herself, she was completely, irrationally enamored with the beautiful girl sitting beside her. She was fighting it, but all her waking thoughts turned to Anna. In truth, if she didn’t want things to continue, she could have stopped going to see Anna perform; she could have stopped bringing her hot chocolate; she could have just stopped. As Elsa looked at Anna once again, though, she realized that was all a lie. She couldn’t have stopped any of this. It wasn’t in her. She couldn’t help the way Anna made her feel, even if she wished she could.

 _Crap_ , Elsa thought to herself. _Maybe I am Richard Gere_. The thought made her chuckle to herself and Anna turned to meet her eyes, mirth playing in those beautiful teal eyes she imagined she’d never tire of gazing into.

“Elsa?” Anna asked with a small smirk. “Already crunk, blondie?”

“No, no,” Elsa laughed softly. As if in response to the accusation, the blonde took a healthy swig from the drink, and took Anna’s hand. “Come,” she said, standing and leading her away.

Elsa ignored the synchronized, curious glances from her friends, but smiled to assure the confused expression that crossed Anna’s features. “Dance with me.”

“What?” Anna asked, eyes wide.

Elsa pulled Anna closer now that they were on the dance floor, and she had enough alcohol to barter herself an excuse. “Dance. With. Me,” she said again.

A corner of Anna’s lips turned up. “You asked for it, blondie.” The redhead grasped Elsa’s wrist excitedly and pulled her further into the center of the dance floor without apology or time for Elsa to have second thoughts.

Anna stopped and moved the hand she held by the wrist to her lower back. Elsa felt her heart thrum at the allowance and her hand suddenly felt magnetically attached where Anna had placed it. Anna moved closer to her so that a sweet scent of chocolate from the earlier hot cocoa flooded her senses, her eyes nearly rolling back in pleasure. Then Anna began to move. It was her undoing. Her breath hitched when Anna matched her by placing her hand at the small of Elsa’s back, guiding their movements.

Elsa tried in vain not to focus too intently on the fact that Anna was so very, wonderfully near to her. She daren’t meet those teal eyes again. If she did, she was certain the dance would become something more. A kiss at first, surely, and that alone couldn’t happen here, where, for all she knew, one of her father’s spies lurked. Elsa was quickly losing any thread of resolve she had, however. With every movement, Anna seemed determined to unravel her further. What had she done to herself? Asking Anna to dance had turned into something she imagined she could never walk away from.  She marveled at the freedom she felt with the redhead. Dancing had never been like this for her. It was intoxicating and the people around her slowly disappeared; the only soul she sensed was the one in front of her. She lifted Anna’s unoccupied arm so that it draped her shoulder, trailing it from the wrist up gently before returning her palm to Anna’s waist. Anna’s eyes snapped up at her in response and Elsa’s breath was stolen when she met those teal eyes once again.

The music shifted and the crowd roared at the sound of the newest, throbbing hit that had been released. Elsa and Anna would have kept going, but a gentle tap on Elsa’s shoulder burst her bubble.

Meg, apparently able to stand still, was the interruptee. “Come on, bitches!” she slurred, making Elsa wonder just how much the brunette had had to drink. “We’re going upstairs to the VIP karaoke rooooom!”

Elsa watched as a corner of Anna’s lips turned up in amusement. “Okay, we’ll be right there.” Her eyes returned to Anna’s gaze and she parted them a few centimeters. “We should…”

Anna visibly gulped. “Yes,” she agreed to Elsa’s silent suggestion.

Elsa gently took Anna’s hand, caressing Anna’s knuckled beneath her thumb as she led her upstairs. She didn’t know where her sudden confidence came from, though she was sure the alcohol running through her veins had something to do with it.

As the two girls entered the VIP room, they were met with a hilarious sight: Meg, Merida, and Aurora—who had finally regained consciousness—were all singing _Single Ladies_ drunkenly into a single mike. Both Anna and Elsa doubled over, earning glares from the three women. As she regained her composure, Elsa smiled at Anna, a pleasant buzz filling her head.

She led Anna to their new table and Meg was quick to pounce on them. “Help.”

Elsa quirked a brow and couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped her. Two sex on a beach drinks was apparently her limit. _I’m a cheap date_ , she thought and began a renewed fit of giggles.

Anna turned a grinning smirk her way. “Someone’s in a good mood.”

“Mmm hmm,” Elsa nodded enthusiastically, tucking in her lips to avoid another bout of giggles.

Anna sighed, giving her a wistful gaze. “Why do you have to be so cute?”

Elsa did a double-take. “Wait, what?”

Anna’s attention, however was taken over by a plastered Aurora. “Hey, Anna, right?”

Anna nodded. “Yes. Nice to meet you…ya know, awake,” Anna covered her lips with a hand to hide her smirk.

“You’re singing with us next,” Aurora said, yawning. “Before I pass out again.”

Elsa practically pushed Anna toward the other blonde. “Go on,” she encouraged her. “You have the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard. Show ‘em how it’s done.”

Anna blushed and looked like she was about to say something, but Aurora was tugging her away.

“Are you ready for this?” Meg asked the room, and Elsa forced down another bout of giggles. Her eyes widened, however, when the brunette began to sing.

 _“She got a body like an hourglass  
But I can give it to you all the time_ ”

Meg points at Elsa as she sings, and the blonde feels her cheeks light on fire when Anna laughs at her expression. Aurora and Anna step up and the three of them sing the chorus. Though they all have lovely voices, Elsa really only hears Anna over the other two. As the song progresses, Elsa can feel herself being drawn more and more to the redhead, not unlike how she was when they had first met. Then, Anna stepped out in front, and Elsa’s jaw dropped as she began to rap.

 _“It's Myx Moscato, it's frizz in a bottle_  
 _It's Nicki full throttle, it's oh, oh_  
 _Swimming in the grotto, we winning in the lotto_  
 _We dipping in the pot of blue foam, so_  
 _Kitten so good, it's dripping on wood_  
 _Get a ride in the engine that could, go_  
 _Batman robbin' it, bang, bang, cockin' it_  
 _Queen Nicki dominant, prominent..."_ (J.)

Elsa blinked rapidly at the display. Was there anything this girl _couldn’t_ do? The three finished the song, wowing the exclusive audience. Elsa gulped when Anna and the other girls rejoined her at the table, her eyes never wavering from the redhead.

“That was grand!” Merida exclaimed.

“You next?” Anna asked.

Merida looked absolutely mortified. Aurora laughed, nudging the Scottish girl jokingly. “Mer has a…unique voice.”

“Uh oh,” Meg tsked, laughing with her. “Goodbye sleepy drunk Aurora. Hello bitchy Aurora.”

“What the lass is trying to say is that I can’t sing to save me wee life,” Mer rolled her eyes at the pair. “I’m more of the horse-riding, arrow slinging types.”

“Oooh!” Anna’s jaw dropped. “You don’t know fencing, do you? I’ve always loved swords!”

Merida nodded. “Perhaps we can swordplay sometime then, lass.”

“Okay, then, you Els,” Aurora turned her attention to her.

“Uh…” Elsa began to argue, feeling a tad shy.

Anna squeezed Elsa’s knee, making the blonde’s eyes nearly bulge. She jolted, but covered by crossing one leg over the other.

“Oh come on!” Anna said. “I bet you have an awesome voice.”

Meg nodded. “Yep. I’ve heard it on the rare drunken occasion.”

“See?” Anna nudged Elsa out of her seat. “Go.”

Elsa tucked a strand of her hair behind an ear, holding her elbow, and biting her lip. “I…I dunno what to sing.”

“I can at least help with that,” Merida stood to escort her.

On the karaoke platform, Elsa waited as Merida searched through various songs.

“Hmmm…No….horrid…awful….meh…not really you…ah ha!” Merida said triumphantly. She selected the song without consulting with Elsa before bolting for the table once again.

Elsa looked out at the crowd, her heart threatening to lodge itself in her throat. Normally she didn’t mind belting it all out and letting it go with her friends, but tonight Anna was in the audience. Tonight, her performance mattered. Her cheeks felt hot, and she decided she needed to probably look at the prompter to see what song Merida had selected. She glanced, and— _oh geez._

Elsa shot the redhead a glare, but Merida only cackled, an evil glint in her eyes. The blonde narrowed her eyes as she cleared her throat and began to sing.

 _“This was never the way I planned, not my intention._  
 _I got so brave, drink in hand, lost my discretion._ ”

Elsa looked out onto her tiny audience, her voice gaining strength with each word. When she started the chorus, she locked eyes with Anna, who was looking at her with awe, causing the blonde to smile.  
  
 _“I kissed a girl and I liked it,_  
 _the taste of her cherry chapstick._  
 _I kissed a girl just to try it,_  
 _I hope my boyfriend don't mind it.”_ (Perry.)

Elsa saw her friends laughing at her as she sang, but she was too drunk to really care. At the moment, she really only had eyes for Anna as she continued to belt out the lyrics. Feeling brave, she sent Anna a wink and smirk. The girl giggled, covering her mouth and winked back. Elsa bit down on her bottom lip, wondering briefly what Anna’s lips might taste like, before she finished the song.

“Whooooooo!” her friends cheered, Anna included.

Elsa laughed as she joined them. “Mean, Mer! Mean!”

“Oh you loved it!” Meg teased her. “Come on. How often do you actually get to express the gay?”

Elsa coughed, looking away. She motioned at a server near the bar to bring her a drink.

“Gay, huh?” Anna poked her as she inquired softly. The other girls were all too busy planning their next number.

“Um…off the record…yes,” Elsa admitted with a nod, her eyes darting around the room.

Anna leaned back in her seat beside her, tapping her chin. “You and I seem to have quite a number of things in common.”

“You mean…” Elsa began, but she daren’t finish the sentence. It would be too wonderful, too blissful, too… _bittersweet,_ she thought, considering her very closeted situation.

Anna nodded her affirmation, however. “You’d be surprised how many homeless people are gay, actually. I was talking with this really sweet social worker the other day—I think her name was Snow—anyway, she said that the gay population is something like 5 to 10 percent, but with the young homeless it’s more like 20 to 40.”

Elsa’s brows shot up. “Wow. Is that why…” she let her voice trail off again.

“Why I’m homeless?” Anna asked, and Elsa dipped her head in a slight nod. “More or less,” Anna took a sip from her virgin mudslide she’d ordered. “My parents found out and…well, let’s just say they weren’t very supportive.”

“They kicked you out on the street?” Elsa frowned. How could anyone be so cruel to one’s own daughter? Of course, Elsa knew that if she ‘outed’ herself to the media, her father would disown her.

Anna shrugged. “Pretty much. They started setting up all these ‘dinners’ with guys my age, and they wouldn’t pay for my singing or music lessons anymore. My mom started being verbally abusive, and my dad wouldn’t even look at me anymore. I left before they could make my life any more miserable.”

Elsa cupped Anna’s cheek. “Anna…I’m so sorry.”

They gazed into each other’s eyes. Anna’s read bravery, Elsa’s compassion. Anna leaned into Elsa’s palm, the sadness receding and replaced with something else. Elsa leaned back in the seat with Anna, tucking invisible strands of red hair behind an ear as she still held a freckled cheek as an excuse to hold the girl’s face between her palms. Anna’s eyes searched hers, and Elsa felt her lungs becoming heavy as it became more and more difficult to breathe. She wanted to kiss her. She wanted to kiss her more than she’d ever wanted anything.

“Sex on a beach?” someone interrupted.

Just like that, the moment was gone. Elsa looked up. “Excuse me?”

“You asked for another drink, Miss Arendelle. I assumed you wished to have another of what you already had,” he smiled.

“Thank you,” Elsa sighed, taking the cocktail. She gulped the drink down in a matter of seconds. If she was going to get through tonight without announcing her orientation to the world one way or another, she’d better self-medicate.

“Chm,” Anna coughed and shifted. Her eyes toured the room, falling everywhere except Elsa’s gaze once again.

A corner of Elsa’s lips turned down, and she beckoned for yet another drink.

~.~.~.~.~

Somewhere, in the deep recesses of her mind, Elsa was aware that something was wrong.

“Goodnight ladies!” someone called. Meg. That was Meg.

Elsa laughed and waved, stumbling over her own feet. High heels, she decided, hadn’t been the best call. She was just about to face-plant when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist.

“Woah!” someone laughed with her. “Easy, Els. Let’s get you inside _before_ you fall on your face.”

 _Anna. Wonderful, beautiful, amazing Anna_ , Elsa recognized the voice.

How they managed to find themselves in her apartment, she’ll never know. The next thing she knew she was being encouraged into her bed. “Noooo,” she whined. “More drinks!” she said, pointing into the air.

“You, blondie, have had more than enough,” Anna laughed. “In fact, I’m gonna get you some water. You stay put, okay?”

Elsa slung an arm over eyes and groaned, rolling onto her side.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes, Anna dear’,” she heard Anna chuckle and leave.

Olaf jumped up on the bed to join Elsa and Elsa smiled, reaching for the cat. The creature purred as she pulled him close, but he soon grew impatient, choosing to leave her to her drunken state.

Elsa felt the bed slump a little and Anna touched her arm. “Els? Els, you should drink some water before you go to sleep.” Elsa groaned, but Anna wasn’t taking no for an answer. She turned the blonde over. “Els?” she asked, leaning over her. Her arms braced her weight on either side of the blonde so that she was hovering over her a bit.

Elsa smiled up at her, and tugged her down.

“Oof! Elsa!” Anna yelped in surprise.

“Shhhh…” the blonde hushed her, cradling the girl close.

Elsa felt Anna chuckle rather than hearing it. “You are so crunk, Els.”

Elsa chuckled with her, a smirk playing on her lips. “Maybe.” She turned over, wrapping her arms around the girl. She nuzzled closer to Anna until they were barely a centimeter apart. She just wanted to be close.

“You okay?” Anna asked with a familiar chocolate scent on her breath from the virgin mudslide she’d enjoyed at the club.

Elsa nodded and smiled, inching closer.

“Good,” Anna said, sighing. “Goodnight, Els.”

Elsa’s ears perked. Goodnight? This was goodnight? She grinned, her eyes still closed. _Well then, I better give her a goodnight kiss_. She pressed forward still and found Anna’s lips. Her stomach curled as Anna’s lips mingled with hers briefly. Elsa smiled, content. _Chocolate. Anna’s lips taste like chocolate,_ she thought in answer to her earlier wondering, and she drifted into deep sleep.

~.~.~.~.~

Works Cited

J., Jessie, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Manaj. “Bang Bang.” _Sweet Talker_. Lava Republic. 2014. Digital Download.

Perry, Katy. “I Kissed a Girl.” _One of the Boys._ Capitol. 2008. Digital Download.

~.~.~.~.~


	6. Chapter six

~.~.~.~.~

Chapter six

Elsa groaned as warm sunlight filtered into her room, painting the backs of her eyelids red. She scrunched her face and threw an arm over her eyes to block out the light, blood rushing in her ears painfully. Her head felt like it had been ran over with a truck.

 _Why did I drink so much?_ she thought regretfully, slowly opening her eyes. She took a few seconds to adjust to the light in the room before slowly sitting up and looking around. Somehow she’d made it back to her room last night, though she had little to no memory of how, and thinking only sent another wave of pain through her skull. Elsa let her head fall into her hands as she let out another groan. When she lifted it again, she looked to her left, only to find a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin on her bedside table.

 _That’s strange,_ she thought, picking up the bottle. _I don’t remember leaving this here._ It was then that Elsa heard the sound of her shower running, and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plate, her hangover forgotten. _Oh no. Oh God no! I brought someone home?!_

She quickly looked down to find that she was no longer in her dress, though she wasn’t completely bare, much to her relief. She was wearing one of her old Yale t-shirts, and a pair of underwear, but nothing else. Elsa didn’t remember changing, which means _someone_ must have done it for her. The thought made her blush furiously as she tried to remember something, anything, from the night before. She came up completely empty handed.

“Shit,” Elsa cursed, running a hand through her hair, which was hanging freely around her shoulders. What the hell was she thinking, bringing someone—who more than likely _wasn’t_ Hans—home with her? If her father found out...Elsa cringed, knowing exactly what he’d do. But that was just it—she hadn’t been thinking, or at least not with all of her neurons firing properly. “New rule: no more girls’ nights until certain things are done.”

“Certain things, eh?” someone asked, and Elsa’s head snapped to see who it was she had brought home. She immediately experienced what she knew to be cognitive dissonance—she felt relief and dread at once. If she had to pick who it would have been last night, she would be looking into no other eyes right now. In fact, if anything she was saddened that she hadn’t been altogether—not at all—aware of it when it had happened. Of course, the dread was present because of her father. If he discovered who it was, she did not put it past him to find a way to ship Anna far away without a trace of her to be found.

Elsa groaned again, her head swimming at an alarming rate when it was already telling her to get back into bed. She decided to listen to it, and crawled back in.

“Good morning to you too,” Anna laughed. “I hope you don’t mind, but I used your shower. I never know when I’ll get the chance or not, being on the street, so I figured…” she let her voice trail off for Elsa to fill in the blanks.

“No, of course I don’t mind, Anna,” Elsa responded, her voice muffled by a pillow that she’d hidden under in disbelief of her conduct last night. How could she have done this? Of course, she couldn’t deny she wanted Anna that way, but that was in a very neat and tidy ‘eventually’ folder in her brain. ‘Eventually’ she would not have to hide who she was to the world. ‘Eventually’ her father would be dethroned from his tower in this city. ‘Eventually’ she would be happy. She groaned again, wishing she could at least remember it. This wasn’t fair to Anna either. What would she think when she found out Elsa had no recollection of their first time together?

“I probably should have cut you off at some point last night,” Anna giggled and Elsa peeked out from under her pillow. The girl was wearing one of her white velvet robes, tossing her hair with a towel to dry it a bit. Elsa swallowed as she took in every square inch of bare flesh that revealed itself—Anna’s impossibly well-defined legs, her graceful neckline, and _dear lord_ the robe was hanging a tad loose up top so that Elsa received a hint of the cleavage she had probably enjoyed last night.

Anna finally glanced her way, and Elsa averted her eyes, her blush feeling like it may be permanent. “I’m sorry for last night,” Elsa said at last, still looking away. “I wish…well, at any rate, I guess I’m stupidly Richard Gere now, huh?” she groaned, hiding beneath the pillow once again.

A healthy laugh made Elsa peek at Anna once again. “What are you talking about?”

Elsa groaned. “Don’t make me say it. Hell, I can’t say it, because I don’t remember it. I’m so sorry, Anna.” She heard Anna walking closer then felt the bed shift with her weight. Anna found her way under the covers with Elsa, closing in closer and closer. Her ears warmed in a strange mixture of embarrassment and desire she didn’t know she possessed until Anna finally lifted the pillow up slowly before discarding it.

“Els?” Anna asked sweetly. “You’re saying you don’t remember what we shared last night?”

Elsa let out a sad sigh, her chin dipping toward her chest to avoid seeing the look of disappointment in those teal eyes.

“So you don’t remember our first…” Anna began.

Elsa shook her head a little. She felt a digit beneath her chin prop it up. “Els, that’s okay. We’ll just have to try again,” Anna gave her a sly grin.

She leaned in to Elsa whose eyes had widened in shock and alarm. “Anna!” she said in astonishment.

“Shh,” Anna said, placing a finger over Elsa’s lips.

Elsa’s heart hammered against her chest so hard, she was certain the tenants below her could hear it. Anna lips placed themselves gently and chastely on hers. Then they were gone.

“Okay!” Anna said with a cheeky grin. “Now you remember.”

Elsa’s eyes narrowed into incredulous suspicion. “Wait, we didn’t…”

“Have mindblowing sex?” Anna laughed heartily, hitting the mattress as she lost herself in hysterics. “No!” she said, rolling over to hug her sides as she continued her guffaws.

Elsa’s gaped at her. “You…you little!” she accused Anna, and not knowing what else to do, she began a merciless barrage of tickling at Anna’s sides so that the poor girl kicked her feet in the air.

“Elsa! Els! Ahhh! Y-you’re killing me. Can’t. Breathe,” Anna said between bouts of laughter.

“Serves you right!” Elsa laughed a little too. “Letting me believe we slept together! You brat!”

Anna laughed all the more. “Totally. Worth it!”

Elsa huffed, crossing her arms and halting her assault. “Jerk.”

Anna wiped away tears at the corner of her eyes, still laughing, though softer. “Oh come on. It was too good to pass up.”

Elsa rolled her eyes, but wore an amused grin all the same. “Laugh it up, Anna. I’ll get you back for this someday.”

Anna rolled her eyes in return. “How? You gonna get me drunk and actually sleep with me?”

Elsa’s eyes widened until Anna’s eyes rushed to meet hers. The redhead stifled snickers between tucked lips.

“Ugh!” Elsa gaped at Anna indignantly again. “Such. a. brat!” she said, and with each word, she pelted Anna with her pillow.

“Okay! Agh!” Anna squawked. “Uncle! I give! No more teasing!”

Elsa displayed a cocky smirk. “Damn right.”

Anna did her best, Elsa had to admit, but the girl started laughing uncontrollably again. Elsa sighed in exasperation. “I’m going to make us some breakfast while you continue your hyena impression,” she told the girl, leaving the room to start the food.

By the time she had finished cooking, Anna had emerged from the bedroom, fully dressed in a pair of Elsa’s jeans and one of her rarely worn t-shirts. Elsa raised an eyebrow at the redhead, carrying two plates piled with pancakes, bacon, eggs, and hash browns to where Anna had plopped down on the couch.

“Stealing my clothes now, are we?” Elsa teased, handing the girl a plate. Anna, accepting the food, stuck her tongue out at the blonde in response, causing Elsa to laugh out loud.

“Shut up,” the redhead laughed along. “Meg forgot to give me my regular clothes back last night and I wasn’t about to walk around the streets in that dress. I’d have every sleazy guy in the area trying to buy me for the night.”

Elsa cringed at the thought.

“Hey, I’ve never done it and never plan to. Gaa-aay remember?” Anna half-sung and grinned, holding her arms akimbo. She then quickly dug into her breakfast, releasing a moan that caused Elsa to turn beet red.

“Oh my God, Els,” Anna exclaimed as she inhailed her food. “This is freaking amazing! I didn’t know you could cook this well!”

Elsa smiled, still blushing softly. “Thank you, Anna.”

Anna smiled back, her plate now devoid of food. The girl always seemed to eat like it was her last meal. The thought made Elsa frown slightly. She didn’t like the idea of Anna not eating enough. She wished she could do more for the redhead, but she knew she was pushing her luck as it was. Anna noticed Elsa frowning, and gave her a light shove.

“Hey, you okay there, blondie?” she asked, snapping Elsa from her thoughts. “You look like you got something on your mind.”

Elsa gave her a small smile. “You know that if you ever need anything, Anna, I’d be happy to bankrupt my father,” she said gently. Anna returned the smile, placing her hand over Elsa’s.  

“Noted,” she responded, before changing the subject. “So whatcha doin’ today? You workin’ stiffs call this the weekend, right?”

“Mmm hmm,” Elsa affirmed. She took their plates to the sink, before grabbing the glass of water and aspirin from her room to down since her headache wasn’t going away, and returning to the couch. Anna joined her, swinging her legs. “Well…” Elsa thought on it. “We could go to the new exhibit at the art museum.”

Anna sighed. “Boooooorrrring.”

Elsa chuckled. “What do you suggest?”

“I dunno,” Anna shrugged, looking straight rather than at Elsa. “We could build a snowman,” she rolled her head to give Elsa another grin.

“You don’t mind the cold?” Elsa was surprised.

“Nah,” Anna shook her head. “I’m used to it.”

“It hasn’t snowed in ages,” Elsa pursed her lips to the side.

Anna did the same. “We could always repeat last night,” she pushed Elsa’s shoulder playfully. “Very entertaining.”

“Yeah, well, when you’re twenty-one, the joke’ll be on you,” Elsa retorted. “Come on,” she stood, waving for Anna to follow her.

“Where are we going?” Anna furrowed her brows. “I just got comfy.”

“You gonna become my own personal squatter?” Elsa smirked as Anna followed.

“Maybe,” Anna laughed. “It’s probably a pretty good gig.”

“My last one said the health plan was very competitive,” Elsa continued the joke.

“Oh, so I’m not your first squatter?” Anna inquired.

“Oh no,” Elsa shook her head. “First there was Cindy, then Mindy, then Sarah, then Farah, then—”

“You dare mock me?” Anna mock-glared.

Elsa chuckled under her breath. “Okay, there’s only two.”

Anna quirked a brow.

“Meet Olaf,” Elsa said when they reached the kitchen, “and Marshmallow.” Her cats were already waiting to be fed.

“We’ve met, actually,” Anna giggled when Olaf rubbed on her leg. Marshmallow, however growled.

“Seems about right,” Elsa laughed. “Olaf has always been the friendly one. Marshmallow takes a bit convincing. I’m not sure he really liked me until I bought him that glittery collar.”

“Well,” Anna bent to pet Olaf. “Apparently you’re not the only gay in the house.”

Elsa chuckled. “Maybe.” Once the cats were appeased she turned back to Anna. “Would you like a tour?”

Anna grinned. “Sure!”

“Very good,” Elsa put on a posh voice. “This, madam, is the salle de cuisine, known also as the kitchen.”

“Unh hunh hunh,” Anna fake-French laughed.

“This, my fair friend, is the place of stuffing one’s face,” Elsa swept her arm and bowed after they’d entered the dining room.

Anna giggled, following Elsa as she led them back towards the bedroom.

“As you know, this room is equipped as my personal chambers, where I get my beauty sleep,” Elsa continued, Anna now fully laughing out loud.

“And finally,” Elsa gestured towards the den. “This is the main room of living, where I spend my evenings watching the movie box.”

Anna eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “Holy cow!” she nearly shouted. “This isn’t a living room! This is a freakin’ theater!”

Elsa rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. This _was_ the one room she had let herself get carried away with. There were huge speakers on the walls and a large flat wall at the back with red, velvet curtains where she projected her films and television. Even the seats were lush—in the center was a black leather couch, each seat able to recline with its own optional cup holder. Theaters were rarely a fun outing for the daughter of the wealthiest man of the city and the paparazzi that escorted her there. Here, she could enjoy a film in peace and not suffer for lack of luxury. “Yeah…I kinda like movies. Musicals, especially…I like singing along…”

“You know, I couldn’t tell,” Anna deadpanned.

Elsa smirked, glad Anna wasn’t put off.

“Okay, so I know what we’re doing today,” Anna grinned. “Movie. Popcorn. Soda. Let’s do this!”

“Name the movie,” Elsa grinned in return. After a night as crazy as last night, a day of lounging was just the ticket.

“Hmmm, I’ve never seen Les Miserables, if you like musicals?” Anna suggested. “I bet American poor people are way tougher than French poor people,” she smirked.

Elsa mused. “It’s kinda rough. You sure?”

Anna nodded. “We can always put a comedy on or something afterward.”

Elsa smiled. “Sounds like a plan.” She’d take every moment Anna would spend with her.

~.~.~.~.~

Anna was glued. Elsa had seen the film version of the musical at least a dozen times, so she only had eyes for the redhead beside her. She’d mastered, after the first hour, observing the girl from her periphery. She dug in the popcorn, blushing every so often when Anna’s hand brushed hers when she dove for some of her own.

At the moment, she was seriously tempted to try the whole stretch-yawn-arm-around-your-date move. Just when she got up the courage, though, Anna leaned against her, wrapping her arms around Elsa’s free one as she dug for another bite of delicious, buttery kernels.  Elsa panicked, momentarily unsure what she should do, but smiled warmly after a moment, realizing she didn’t have to do a thing. She was happy. Anna seemed happy. That was more enough. She rested her cheek on the crown of Anna’s head as they continued to watch, and found herself more content than she ever remembered being.

~.~.~.~.~

Elsa woke to sniffs. Her head jerked up and she looked around groggily. She realized soon where she was and who she was with, and she smiled softly, eyes still half-lidded.

“You _sniff_ fell asleep,” Anna said, wiping her nose with her sleeve—well, Elsa’s sleeve actually, but the blonde didn’t mind.

Elsa’s brows came together and rose slightly, displaying an adoring gaze. “Were you crying?”

Anna mumbled something and buried her face in Elsa’s arm and side.

“Aw,” Elsa chuckled softly. “I warned you that it was a bit rough,” she said, rubbing the girl’s shoulder before hugging her close. She smiled as the smell of Anna’s hair filled her senses. Truth be told, she was enjoying Anna’s need for comfort a little too much.

“W-why are people s-so—” Anna sniffed again.

“We should watch something lighter,” Elsa suggested.

Anna gave a small chuckle. “But you’re gonna fall asleep again.”

“I’ll stay up,” Elsa promised, and she sat up straighter in her seat.

“Okay,” Anna half-sniffed. “What should we put on? I picked this one.”

“Hmmm,” Elsa rubbed the sleep from her eyes. What movie should she chose? She wanted something that would allow her to watch the redhead again, but also something that would lighten the mood. Then it hit her, and she smiled, walking over to her movie collection. She pulled out a DVD and put it in the player, not letting Anna know what movie she had chosen.

“You’ll see,” she told the redhead when she asked, and settled back on the couch. Elsa blushed lightly when Anna immediately reattached herself to her arm.

The rain in the film matched the rain that kissed the windows outside Elsa’s apartment. Elsa pulled on a blanket that draped the backboard of the seat and settled it over both her and Anna. When an all too familiar tune began to play, she grinned and to her delight so did Anna.

“I _love_ this movie!”  Anna shouted, pumping her fists into the air as if in triumph. “It’s been forever since I’ve seen it.”

 _“Y-You better get married soon. Y-You’re starting to look old,”_ Gus said on the screen, but Elsa didn’t laugh at him. Instead she laughed as Anna recited his lines along with the Greek gentleman.

“Sorry,” Anna tucked a strand of her hair behind an ear nervously as Elsa continued snickering. “I studied _My Big Fat Greek Wedding_ like other girls studied _The_ _Bible_.”

Quirking a brow, Elsa chuckled softly. She pulled Anna closer, and in a strange fit of bravery kissed the crown of her head. “It’s cute. Don’t worry about it.” She saw Anna’s ears redden, and felt her own cheeks rouge, but she didn’t care. She had Anna right beside her. She would enjoy every second of it.

The movie and Anna continued, Elsa enjoying the film far more than she ever had. Mostly because Anna had memorized every line, and was reciting them perfectly along with the actors.

“ _What do you mean he don’t eat no meat!?_ ” Anna mimicked in a Greek accent. Elsa laughed, bringing her hand up to cover her smile. The redhead was just too cute. Anna smiled back, reaching for the popcorn, only to succeed in knocking kernels all over the floor.

“Shit!” the redhead exclaimed, jumping up to pick up the mess. Elsa followed suit, getting on her hands and knees to help, unable to help stealing a glance at Anna in her lose t-shirt from this new, advantageous angle. The two girls crawl around, collecting kernels as the movie continues to play in the background. Suddenly, Elsa felt a warm hand on top of hers, and looked up only to find herself face to face with Anna.

Elsa blushed deeply. Anna was so close, the blonde could count every freckle on her cheeks and nose, even though a gentle blush coated her face. It still amazed Elsa just how beautiful Anna was. She admired everything about the girl, from her coppery-red hair, to her dazzling teal eyes. She just couldn’t get enough of her.

Blue eyes flicked up to meet teal ones, and Elsa froze. She knew she should move back, but she couldn’t bring herself to. The redhead was too enchanting. For a few tense moments, neither girl did anything. Then, Anna’s eyes darkened and she slowly began to lean forward. Elsa’s eyes widened as Anna’s became half-lidded, but she didn’t move. She _couldn’t_ move.

Then Anna’s lips were on hers, and it was better than she ever could’ve imagined. This was nothing like the teasing chaste kiss they had shared earlier. This was warm and passionate and just plain amazing. She didn’t— _couldn’t_ —react. The shock of what was happening was all just too much. She felt completely engulfed by what was happening, the kiss making her mind become a fog she couldn’t navigate.  Here she was, kissing the girl she had been slowly falling for, the girl of her dreams, and she couldn’t believe it. It was just too good to be true. And then, it was over.

Anna sat back, her eyes still glazed over. She looked up to Elsa who was still frozen in place, and opened her mouth as if to say something, but was interrupted by a throat being cleared.  

“Chm,” the new arrival caught Elsa’s attention, and she felt all the blood drain from her face when she saw who it was. Gothel. Her maid. That her _father_ hired. 

 _Oh no,_ Elsa thought, her eyes going wide in terror. _Oh no, no, no, no, no!_

“My apologies, Ms. Arendelle,” the maid said, smirking as she fluffed her black hair and sounding anything but. “I didn’t realize you had…company. I’ll just come back later.”

And with that, the maid turned and walked out the door. Elsa wanted to call after her. To stop her. To do anything. But she couldn’t seem to move. She couldn’t seem to _breathe_.

“That was weird,” Anna said, though Elsa barely heard her. Gothel had seen them. She had watched the two girls kiss. And she worked for Elsa’s father.

 _She’s going to tell him,_ Elsa thought, panic filling her chest. _She’s going to tell him, and he’ll come after Anna._

Breathing was becoming difficult. Elsa’s couldn’t seem to get enough air into her lungs. Her fingers dug into the carpet, and she began to shake violently. She felt as if she was going to be sick. She was terrified, both for herself, and for the redhead.

“Elsa? Hey, Elsa,” Anna frowned in concern and waved a hand in front of the blonde’s face, but she didn't see it. “Earth to Elsa! Are you okay?”

 _I’m going to lose her. I was careless, and now she’s going to pay the price_ , Elsa’s thoughts plowed through her mind, and her vision became hazy. _What have I done?_

Elsa felt a warm hand on her cheek, and she snapped out of her thoughts, jumping away from the touch.

“Whoa there, Els,” Anna said, patting the air. Elsa closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. When she opened them, Anna was looking at her with worried eyes. “What’s wrong?”

 _I’ve ruined everything._ Elsa felt tears well up as she looked at the redhead. She knew what she had to do, but it wasn’t going to be easy. In fact, it was going to hurt like hell. But it was the only to protect Anna. It was the only way to keep her _safe._ Elsa stood, clasping her hands to her chest as she willed herself not to cry.

“You need leave,” she told Anna, unable to look her in the eyes. She heard the girl breath in sharply, and glanced up, only to see Anna scrambling to her feet.

“Wait, what? Why?” she asked, a slight tremor in her voice.

Elsa turned away, not answering the girl.

“Elsa? Please! Tell me what I did wrong?” Anna pleaded, “Was it the kiss? Oh God, it was, wasn’t?”

“No, Anna,” Elsa responded as it became harder to speak around the lump in her throat.

“Yes, it was. God, I’m such an idiot!” Anna said. She grabbed Elsa’s shoulders and forced the older girl to look at her. “Elsa I-I didn’t…I mean, I thought…” she sighed, her shoulders sagging. “Elsa, I’m sorry.”

Elsa gently pulled away, wrapping her arms around her middle. “Please just go.”

“But it’s pouring outside, Els,” she heard Anna argue feebly. A moment later, she heard Anna sniff, and it nearly broke the blondes’ heart. _Be strong, Elsa. This is for her own good,_ she thought to herself as she took another deep breath.

Before the girl could say anything else, Elsa shoved a jacket and umbrella into her hands, and walked to the door. She held it open for Anna, still not meeting her gaze. If she had, she would’ve seen the tears leaking down Anna’s face. She did, however, feel girl walk past her out the door.  She turned to a small, hidden jewelry box, turning the key to pilfer its contents. She pulled every emergency bill out—probably near a thousand dollars—wadding it up, and stuffing it into the redhead’s jacket pocket.

Anna stopped, her mouth open to say something, but Elsa closed the door on her before she could. The blonde knew that she wouldn’t be able resist again. Elsa turned and slid down the door, bringing her knees to her chest as she finally let her tears fall. She rested her head on her arms, violent sobs wracking her body. Little did she know, Anna was doing the same on the other side of the door.

 _I’m sorry, Anna,_ she thought, over and over again as she cried herself to sleep that night.

_I’m so sorry._


	7. Chapter seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright let me start off by apologizing for taking so long to update. I've been super busy with school and ROTC and on top of that, I had a really hard time writing this chapter. Stupid writers block :P. But I'm back! Hope y'all are still reading! Also, just so's y'all know at the end of this chapter there is a shift to Anna's POV, which is what I'll be writing in for the next chapter or two. You'll see why soon. Anyways, thanks to all my readers, and I hope y'all enjoy! Oh, and a huge shout out to my super awesome beta/co-writer LitNiche! Thanks!

~.~.~.~.~

Chapter Seven

“Ye. Are. An. _Idiot!_ ” Merida exclaimed, punctuating each word by whacking Elsa on the head with a rolled up newspaper. The blonde had called her the moment she’d woken up, and the redhead had been there in minutes. Elsa had just finished telling Merida the events that had transpired the night before, and her friend was _furious._

“Ow! Merida!” she huffed indignantly, trying find cover underneath her arms. She almost regretted calling the girl, but she didn’t really have anyone else she wanted to talk to. She didn’t have anyone else she really _could_ talk to. After all, the girl was Elsa’s best friend.

“What were ye thinkin’ lassie?” Merida scolded her, halting in her assault and putting her hands on her hips while glaring at Elsa. It was almost comical how thick her accent got when she was angry. “How could ye just throw the lass out in the rain like that? I though ye were better than that Elsa.”

Elsa felt her shoulders slump at Merida’s words. “I-I don’t know Merida. I just…I saw Gothel and I panicked. I thought she’d tell Father, and…Merida I was just so _scared._ ”

“That doesn’t excuse what ye did, lass,” Merida continues, her pale blue eyes boring into Elsa. “Ye didn’t even explain things te her, for heaven’s sake! She probably thought ye were upset with _her_!”

“I know,” the blonde concedes, not meeting Merida’s gaze. “But…maybe it’s for the best. Maybe,” Elsa sighs, running a hand through her hair, “maybe I should just let her go.”

“Bullshit,” Merida cursed venomously, causing Elsa to jump. “Ye and I both know how ye are keen for the lass. I saw how ye looked at her the other night, hell everyone did! And so what if ye father knows?”

Elsa’s head snapped up as she stared wide-eyed at her friend. “So what? _So what_?! Merida, have you _met_ my father?”

“Alright, so he’s a wee bit strict, but that’s no reason to treat Anna like ye did!” Merida retorts, and Elsa nearly scoffs. “You can’t let fear rule yer life, lass!”

“Mer, you don’t understand,” Elsa insisted. “My father is _ruthless_. You should’ve seen what happened to the last girl I fell for!” Several painful memories flashed before the blonde’s eyes, and she had to take a moment to collect herself as guilt washed over her. “Merida, he _destroyed_ her. And we hadn’t done anything yet! He only went after her because _I_ had feelings for _her._ I can’t even _image_ what he’d do to Anna if he found her.”

Elsa looked down at her hands, her voice going soft. “I just…I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“Well it’s a wee bit late for that now, isn’t it?” Merida scolds her, causing Elsa to flinch. Then she sighs, and puts a hand on Elsa’s shoulder. “All right, lass. Let’s get.”

Elsa sniffed, dabbing her eyes dry with her sleeve. “Huh? Where are we going?”

“Ter find yer lass,” Merida rolled her eyes. “If yer worried fer her, ye’r better off knowing where she is than guessin’ till yer heart bleeds itself dry.”

Shaking her head, Elsa refused to get up when Merida offered her a hand. “I can’t see her again. Ever.” The words were hers, but they stung like someone else had slapped them in her face. She could never see Anna again…She could _never_ see Anna again.

The thought sent chills through her along with waves of nausea.

Merida shook her head in return, giving Elsa a strangely sad smile. “Ye don’t have a choice, Elsa. Ye love her. Ye have ta find her and tell her what’s yer father’s about.” 

Elsa tried to shake her head, but she felt too sick. “No,” she said instead. “My father…” she gulped in a breath. “He’s dangerous. I just need a little more time to—” she stopped herself. Only Hans knew what she was planning. She barely trusted him, and only because she trusted that another of her father’s enemy was her ally in taking him down. Merida was a friend, but she had to keep everything as secret as possible. That was how her father played the game, and you only win a game against the house if you play by the rules even better than the dealer.

Rather than a response, Elsa’s remark earned Merida’s somehow both cold and fiery gaze to be fixed on her. The redhead took her by both shoulders and wouldn’t let her look anywhere but straight into her eyes. “Lass,” Merida began. “Ye didn’t deny it.”

Elsa frowned, confused and drained. “Deny what, Mer?”

“That ye love the lass,” Merida smiled softly.

Elsa continued to frown. “Love? I…” She furrowed her brows deeper. She didn’t know exactly what she felt for Anna. She cared for her, certainly. She wanted Anna to be happy and she wanted more than anything to be the reason for her happiness. She wanted to protect her and take care of her and…And the idea of never seeing her again felt like the very air had burned up its oxygen. All her strength had left with Anna out her door.

“Aye, lass,” Merida gave her another kind smile, and chucked her chin. “Love.”

~.~.~.~.~

The next week was the hardest seven days of Elsa’s life. Despite Merida’s pestering, she didn’t go looking for Anna, too afraid of what might happen if her father found the girl. Though he hadn’t spoken to her about the situation, she was dead sure that he knew, and was just waiting for her to slip up. That, and the fact that Anna probably—more than likely—didn’t want to talk to her, had caused the blonde to avoid any area that she thought the redhead would be near, especially Rapunzel’s café.

It didn’t help that Merida had accused her of _loving_ Anna. Sure, she cared about Anna; very much so, but love? After all, she’d only known the girl for a few months. There was no way she could fall in love with someone that fast…Could she?

Elsa shook her head to clear her thoughts before resting her forehead on her office desk. Thinking about Anna wouldn’t do her any good, because she wasn’t going to see her again anyways. At least, not until she and Hans succeeded in their endeavors. Then maybe, _maybe_ , she would be able to approach the redhead, if the girl didn’t hate her guts by then. But at the moment, the best thing for her to do would be to stay away.

Taking a deep breath, Elsa lifted her head and ran her hand through her bangs. _I can do this,_ she thought fiercely. _I_ can _do this._

If only she believed herself.

Sighing, and rubbing her eyes, which were mysteriously wet, she looked back at her computer re-reading the email Hans had sent her that morning. At first glance, it seemed like a simple message, asking after her welfare and inquiring about what appeared to be inconsequential things, such as the weather. But, upon closer inspection, Elsa was able to decipher its true meaning. And it wasn’t good.

“Shit,” Elsa cursed to herself, a pit forming in her stomach. This was bad. Very bad. The blonde set up a her IP address scrambler and quickly typed a reply, using the same code Hans had, asking him to meet her in a few hours. Normally she would try to avoid seeing him without her father knowing, but this was important. If what Hans said was true, then everything they had been working towards the last few months would be in vain. Just as she hit send, Anita, her secretary, opened the door.

“Ma’am,” she said, peaking her head into the room. “Your father has requested a meeting with you.”

Elsa mentally cursed again before regarding the secretary. “What time?”

“Right now, Ma’am,” she answered immediately, looking slightly worried.

Elsa sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “It’s just not my day, is it?” she mumbled to herself.

“What was that, Ma’am?” Anita inquired, but Elsa waved her off.

“Nothing. Thank you, Anita. You can go.”

~.~.~.~.~

Elsa found herself in front of her father’s office door, unable to remember when she’d left her own. The blonde took a minute to smooth out any wrinkles on her outfit, and to make sure her hair was pristine, before knocking.

“Come in,” her father barked, and immediately Elsa knew that her father’s perpetual anger was especially fined tuned today.

Elsa quickly stepped into the large space, closing the door behind her, before moving to stand a few feet away from her father’s desk, and waited for him to acknowledge her. If there had been any doubt it would have been dispelled the moment her father’s eyes settled on her. There was no other way to put it other than to say that she was in deep shit.

“Sit,” he growled, and Elsa was quick to obey, not wanting to upset him any further. Her father’s eyes never left her as she did, nor did they lose any of the venom they had been spitting at her from the moment she had entered the room.

“Chm,” she cleared her throat awkwardly, feeling more uncomfortable than she ever had in her entire life. “Is something the matter, Father?” she asked, thanking the heavens that she hadn’t stuttered for once.

“Don’t play coy with me, Elsa,” her father snarled, glaring daggers at her. It took all of Elsa’s willpower to not shrink away from the man. “You know damn well what you did.”

Elsa felt her eyes widen, fear filling her chest. She wasn’t sure if he was talking about Hans or Anna, but either way this was bad. She had two options: she could admit her “wrongdoing,” and pray her father was feeling merciful, or she could pretend she had no clue what he was talking about. Considering how angry her father looked, she chose the second option.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, Father,” she stammered, cursing herself for the stutter that had finally emerged.

Her father’s scowl deepened, and he shoved a magazine in her face. Elsa blinked rapidly a few times before focusing on the front page. The magazine clearly depicted a picture of the blonde completely intoxicated, draped over a petite redhead with very familiar braids whose face was, thankfully, blurred in the picture. The thing that made Elsa’s heartbeat quicken, however, was the unmistakable look of _adoration_ she had in her eyes as she looked at Anna. It was _very_ apparent how Elsa felt about the anonymous redhead, and that, she surmised, was why her father was absolutely livid.

“This behavior is _unacceptable_ ,” her father hisses, throwing the magazine down on his desk, causing the blonde to flinch. “How _dare_ you allow yourself to be seen like this? And with another _woman?!_ Did you learn _nothing_ the last time? _”_

“F-father, I—” Elsa stammered, but he interrupted her.

“Silence!” he bellowed, and the blonde immediately snap her mouth shut in fear. Her father took a moment to compose himself, pinching the bridge of his nose in anger.

“Who is she?” her father asked without looking at her, exuding a calm that was more terrifying than his previous anger.

Elsa felt a chill come over her, dread settling itself in her bones. “Father, please—” Elsa jumped when he slammed his hand down on the desk.

“Her name, Elsa!” he hissed, glaring daggers at her. When she didn’t answer, he growled in frustration.

 “Apparently I need to remind you what happens when you defy my wishes, Elsa,” he said with barely contained furry. He rose from his chair, and made his way around the desk. Elsa, in a fit of panic, jumped from her seat with a squeak, and backed away from him.

“P-please,” she whimpered, bringing her hands to her chest. “Please d-don’t.”

“Tell me her name,” her father demanded, ignoring her pleas.

Elsa defiantly refused to answer. Yes, she was terrified, and she was probably going to pay dearly for her insolence, but no matter what happened, she wasn’t going to oust Anna. She cared too much for the girl, and she knew what her father would do if he found her. That thought alone gave her enough courage to stand up to her father, even if it cost her dearly.

Growing frustrated with her persistent silence, her father snarled in anger. “Tell. Me. Her. Name!”

“No.”

The single, defiant word echoed through the room—despite the fact that Elsa had all but whispered it—followed by a dead silence from both the parties. Her father’s eyes widened in surprise at her answer, but then narrowed when he smiled, eliciting terror rather than calm from Elsa.

“Good,” he said. “I was almost hoping you’d refuse like this. Do you remember what I had to do when you threw a fit about your first pony being taken away because it was time for you to learn to ride a real horse? You tried running away with it. And what did I have to do, Elsa?”

Elsa didn’t meet his eyes, setting her jaw, and still refusing to speak.

Her father gave a wry chuckle. “What happened, girl?” his voice became angry once again. “What did I have to do, Elsa?”

A tear found its way down Elsa’s cheek as she remained silent.

Her father scoffed. “Fickle girl. I remember if you don’t.  I was going to arrange for the creature to find a new home. But when I found out you were being ridiculous, I had to then, not only replace him, but teach you that some things have to be let go for your own good. So. What. Did. I. Have. To. Do. Elsa?” he asked her again, the venomous tone nearly tangible in the air.

Elsa gulped, she had only been eight years old when it happened, but she felt responsible for what happened to poor Buck to that day.  He had been her best friend. Riding had been the only time her father had ever agreed with her having a little fun. After all, it was a sign of wealth and prestige for his daughter to know proper riding technique.

In a soft voice, Elsa whispered something that still haunted her. “You…” she hesitated, the words forming a lump in her throat, “You sold him to be made into glue.”

“That’s right,” her father nodded, as if coaching her through it. “So I’m glad you’re refusing to tell me this girl’s name,” his sickening smile returned. “It tells me you never learned your lesson; it tells me you still don’t know when to let something go when it’s for your own good; and,” he leaned toward her, his voice lowering to a terrifying whisper, “it gives me all the more reason to hunt her down.”

~.~.~.~.~

Kristoff stared at the bundle of carrots Anna was dangling in front of him. He gulped then licked his lips. “Annnnaaa, this isn’t fair,” he whined.

Anna felt a corner of her lips pull up. “Fair? Who said anything about fair? Do we have a deal or not?”

Kristoff groaned, burying himself in his arms to hide. “Just take them away. No. No deal.”

“Oh come on!” Anna protested. She furrowed her brows and placed her hands on her hips.

“No! She doesn’t get to breathe the same air you do! I’m not doing anything for her,” Kristoff nearly growled.

Anna plopped down on the sidewalk next to him, a genuine pout displayed. “Please? I just need to know she’s okay. And that I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Shaking his head, still buried, Kristoff muttered something along the lines of “You fell for her. That’s where it went wrong.”

Anna narrowed her eyes and punched his deltoid none too gently.

“Ow!” he emerged, rubbing his arm.

“Dick,” she pouted further. “I can’t help it. And even if she hates me, I still need to know she’s okay. She looked…awful when I left…like she…like her life was as good as over or something. She looked devastated and sick and-and…” Anna shook her head, rubbing her arms to try to rid herself of the chills that had developed as she began to recall Elsa’s face just before she’d closed her apartment door in her face. She might have been insulted at being tossed out in the rain with a wad of money if it weren’t for that face. She _should_ be mad, but all she wanted to do was hold Elsa and tell her everything was going to be okay—better than okay, as long as they were together.

Anna wiped a single tear that had rolled down her cheek at the memory.

“Ugggghhhh,” Kristoff groaned. “Fine. I’ll check on her. But that’s it. She sees me, and tries to talk to me, I’m going to flip her off, and walk the other way.”

Anna grinned as she sniffed. “Thank you, Kristoff!” she said, glomping him so that Sven became excited and started attacking them both with affection.

“Ugh,” Kristoff groaned again with less panache. “Get off. Both of you.”

Anna nodded, and released him. She ruffled Sven’s fur on his head and said. “Thank, Kris. Really.”

Kristoff regarded her and smiled warmly. “Anything for you, kid. So you’re really gonna do it, then?”

Frowning, Anna nodded slowly. “Yeah. I have to try. At least once more, I have to try. With the money Elsa gave me, I have no excuse but to try to make amends.”

“If you ask me, they don’t deserve you either. What kind of parents let their kid just end up on the streets? If I were you, I’d take the money and start yourself a new life instead of visiting them. I mean who do they think they are? Love experts? So you like girls. Who the fuck cares?”

Anna chuckled. “Thanks, Kris, but they’re still my parents. After they kicked me out, I ran away with no way back to them last time, and I’ve wondered so many times if I made the right decision.” She gave him a half-hearted smile. “We’ll see I guess.”

“Okay,” Kristoff gave her a half smile back.

Anna leaned forward and patted the burly man on the back in a hug. “I’ll see you in a week.”


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey...so I super suck with my updates right now :/ I'm sorry. I've been super busy with school, you know finals coming up and shit...but just a few more weeks and I should be free! Then I promise I'll try to be better! Anyways, as always, I'd like to thank my awesome beta/co-writer LitNiche. She's the bomb dot com! But, enough from me...I'll let y'all read now. Hope you enjoy!

~.~.~.~.~

Chapter Eight

The bus ride was long. Not that Anna minded. It gave her time to think about what she wanted to say. How would they react to seeing her? Would they be happy? Mad? Confused? Would they apologize? Or just throw her out again? Anna felt her heartbeat increase when she thought of the possibility that her parents really, truly never wanted to see her again.

But. No. She had to have faith. She had to believe that, no matter what, she was still their little girl, and that they still loved her. She had to believe it. It was the only thing that had gotten her through the last three years on the streets. She had to have hope.

When she wasn’t ruminating over what her parent’s reaction would be to her not so prodigal return, Anna’s mind turned to a certain platinum blonde. As she watched the landscape fly by, she thought about those cerulean blue eyes, and how terrified they had looked when Elsa had shut the door in her face. She won’t lie to herself—being thrown out like that? It hurt. Especially because she had thought that Elsa felt the same way about her as she did about the blonde. But the look on Elsa had worn on her face still caused Anna more pain than anything the blonde had physically done. There had to be another reason for Elsa’s reaction. Anna was sure of it. After all, there had been the looks, and the hot chocolates, and of course there was that goodnight kiss. The ginger was sure she’d read the signs right. And then she’d been thrown out like trash.

 _Ugh! Why did I have to fall for her?_ she thought, sighing deeply. _Why did she have to be so…so…amazing?_

In all the years she’d been on the streets, no one had been as kind to Anna as Elsa had been, except Kristoff, of course. The girl had been a light in her dark world. Anna groaned, running a hand over her face. It wouldn’t do any good to dwell on the past. If everything worked out like she hoped it would, she’d never seen the blonde again anyway, and if they didn’t…well, after the way that night had gone, she was sure she’d never see Elsa regardless of the outcome of this trip.

Surprisingly, that thought alone caused Anna more pain than the thought of never seeing her parents again. But she brushed it off. There was still a chance that her parents would accept her again, even if Elsa never would.

~.~.~.~.~

Anna looked up at the large, two story house in front of her. She’d been standing in place for what felt like hours, though she knew it couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes. Her guitar case lied by her feet, and the few possessions she owned sat in the bag on her back. The house looked exactly the same as it had the last time she’d see it: blue paint, snow white door, curtains drawn. Even the lawn looked just as perfect as it had three years ago.

She sighed, looking down at her hands as she fiddled with a tissue, ripping it to pieces. Could she fit here? In this perfect, suburban home? Had she ever fit? To say she was nervous about what she was doing would be an understatement. Three years is a long time for people to change. Hopefully, that change would be a good one.

The ginger took a deep breath, steadying herself. _I can do this_ , she thought, cracking her neck. _I’m ready. I was born ready._

With one last deep breath, Anna grabbed her guitar case and marched up to the front door before she could convince herself otherwise. She placed her case on the front steps, and raised her hand to knock, but didn’t let it fall.

_Come on, Anna. Knock. Just knock. Why aren’t you knocking? Did you forget how to knock?_

“Ugh,” Anna sighed, bringing her hand up to run through her bangs. She pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment, before peeking back up at the door.

 _What if they don’t want to see me? What if I’ve come all this way, only for them to kick me out again?_ she thought for probably the thousandth time that day. Before she could decide whether she had the courage to knock or not and find out, the door creaked open on its own. Anna frowned. Not good.

Stepping into the house, she gasped. The place looked like it’d been ransacked. Furniture was flipped and torn, framed pictures were cracked and discarded on the floors, and the back sliding glass door had been shattered.

Anna was careful with each step, not wanting to destroy anything else. “Mom?” she called with a worried tone. “Dad?”

The sound of a car entering the driveway startled Anna until she saw it was her parent’s station wagon. He must have seen that the door was open, because her father came bounding up to the house with his baseball bat he kept in his car. Anna would have smiled at the memory of her father and she having impromptu baseball games at parks as she was growing up if circumstances had been far different.

Anna took him in. It had been three years, but his eyes had gathered wrinkles at their corners and they carried a tiredness in them she’d never seen before. His ginger hairline had receded a couple of inches too. He looked like he’d aged a decade.

“Anna?” her father asked, his mouth gaping. He shook his head as if in disbelief. “How could you…?” he stared around the disheveled home before meeting her eyes again. “Why would you…?”

Anna took in a sharp breath of air, realizing what he must have thought. “Dad, I didn’t—when I got here the door was open and I—”

“Get out,” he nearly spat.

“But Dad, I—”

“Anna!” someone half-whispered, half-gasped at the door.

Anna’s head whipped around to see her mother with tears streaming down her face. “Mom! I didn’t—”

“Leave!” her father shouted. “If you leave now, we won’t press charges for what you’ve done. We probably should. Maybe you’d finally learn something.”

Anna was fighting tears. Why wouldn’t he listen? Why wouldn’t he just let her explain? “Dad, please!”

“I think you should do what your father says,” her mother interrupted, and Anna noticed this time that the woman had grown older too fast as well. Her auburn hair was graying, and without her ever-present smile, she looked like Nana.

Her father retrieved a phone from his jacket pocket. “You have to the count of three. If you aren’t out that door where you can’t cause your mother and me any more grief than you already have by that time, I’m calling the police, and we’re turning you over.”

Anna gulped down the lump in her throat, and though she hadn’t made the conscious decision to, she nodded.  She passed by her mother as she stepped out the door, her father on “two.” She reached out to touch her mother’s shoulder, but when she did, her mother started sobbing, sliding down the door jamb. “Mom,” she whispered, desperate to reach out to her again, to comfort her, and tell her she loved her still.

“I said ‘leave’,” her father came to the doorway, lifting her mother and letting the woman sob against his chest. “Now.”

Anna stepped back, wondering why this had to happen this way. She stood her ground for another two seconds to whisper, “I love you both. Always,” before running away as fast as she could with her few possessions for the second time. Only this time, it was that much harder.

She turned at the end of her block, heading for the main road. Tears still pouring from her, she stopped and tried wiping them away so she could see. The screeching of rubber on asphalt made her look up, but not before a silver car sent her and her guitar flying in the air.

~.~.~.~.~

The next thing Anna knew was pain.

“Ugh,” Anna groaned, coming to. Her head was pounding, and she felt sore all over. She raised a hand to her forehead and tried to sit up, but she felt a hand on her shoulder, pushing her back down onto, what felt like, a small bed.

“Easy, there,” she heard someone say. “You had quite a fall. Hit your head pretty hard.”

Anna didn’t recognize the voice, but it was distinctly male. A quick peak at the speaker confirmed her thoughts. The man in question was actually very attractive—for a man. He had bright green eyes, and hair so red it made hers look brown. He didn’t look all that much older than her either, despite the impressive sideburns he was sporting.

Anna closed her eyes again for a moment. “What…What happened?” she asked, still holding her head.

“Oh…that,” the man answered, sounding nervous. “Chm, well you see I kind of, um, accidently hit you with my car…”

Anna’s eyes snapped open and she shot up, before instantly holding her head in regret. The sudden motion had caused the room to spin, and her head to throb even more.

“You what?!” she hissed, ignoring the man’s attempts to try to get her to lie down again.

“I didn’t mean to,” the man said quickly, looking at her guiltily. “I was just driving, and then you came out of nowhere, and well…” he left off waving his hand vaguely.

Anna stared at him for a moment, before sighing and running a hand through her bangs. She took a quick inventory of her body, noting that besides a headache and a few bumps and scratches, she was practically unharmed.

“I’m sorry,” the man said after she sat in silence for a moment. Anna looked back up at him, noting the plea in his eyes.

“Who are you?” she wondered aloud.

“I’m sorry,” the man conked his own head with his palm. “My name is Hans. Hans Southern.”

Unable to control herself, Anna rolled her eyes. She took one glance around the overtly posh room and fell back onto the small bed with a groan.

“Are you okay?” Hans asked with renewed concern.

Anna gave a long sigh. “Yeah,” she said, but shook her head.

“Uhh…what does that mean? Are you okay? I have a professional who can nurse you just outside the door. I can get—”

“No, no,” Anna sighed again. “It’s just that Hans Southern is a rich guy and I’ve had just about all the rich crazy I can handle on top of everything else right now.”

Anna heard Hans chuckle. He cleared his throat when she peered at him quizzically. “It’s just that I wholeheartedly empathize. Rich people can be the craziest people on this planet.”

“Can I hear an Amen?” Anna chuckled with him. She held her head when the pain returned with her movements. “So now we get to the part where you ask that nurse lady to come in here and give me some aspirin or something for the pain, please.”

“Ah,” Hans nodded. “Yes, of course. However, I’m not sure how Strong-bear will feel about being called ‘nurse lady’.”

 Anna quirked a brow. “Strong-bear?” Did she hear that right?

“His name is Dr. Joshua Strong-bear Sweet, but I think his middle name suits him most,” Hans chuckled at joke Anna wasn’t in on.

Anna snorted. Leave it to a rich guy to have his own doctor on call for nursing a homeless girl back to shape for the streets.

Hans opened the door, beckoning the doctor. In came a huge man with dark skin. He was grinning ear to ear with a more than intimidating saw slung over his shoulder as he approached her.

Anna’s eyes widened to roughly the size of grapefruits. “Ahhh!!!” she screamed, hopping down from the bed despite her injuries and gunning it for the window. She unlocked it, but when she looked down, she found that they were three stories up. She glanced over her shoulder wondering if she should chance it anyway.

“Whoa whoa whoa!” the doctor smiled at her. “Where are you going?”

Anna felt sweat beading on her brow and she felt faint. Huge dude plus huge saw equaled a huge no-no in her book of things worthy to panic over. “Stay back,” she commanded feebly. “Stay away from me.”

“Easy, there,” she heard Hans’s gentle voice. He wrapped an arm around her waist to support her and returned her to the small bed. “He’s just an idiot and excited about a new toy. That’s all.”

“Damn right!” the doctor was still grinning. “The website said this little beauty,” he kissed the large saw before continuing “could saw straight through a femur in twenty-eight seconds. I’m betting I can cut that time in half,” he said with pride.

“So this is it,” Anna said without emotion.

Hans frowned at returned his gaze to her. “What is what?”

“This is how I die,” Anna said to no one in particular. “A crazy rich guy and his crazy saw buddy are gonna saw me into little pieces. That’s gotta be the best homeless death story in ages. Most of us just freeze to death.”

The doctor started bellowing laughter. “Open your mouth and say ‘awwww’,” he commanded.

Anna began to refuse. “Why do I need t—“ She nearly gagged when the tongue depressor forced her tongue to hang out of her mouth as the doctor peered at her throat. “Looks good. Looks good. Nothing like a set of healthy tonsils. Now,” he removed the suppressor and stood back up to his full height which Anna guessed was eight to twenty feet or somewhere in that zone. “How about a urine and blood sample?” He held up a small beaker and a very large needle.

“Holy sh—NO!” Anna stammered. “What does any of this have to do with my head?!” she asked incredulously.

The doctor looked at her like she was the crazy one. “Nothing. I already checked your head. It’s fine. Anything wrong with you is something prior to the accident. Hence the tests. Did you know that homeless people are some of the most fascinating patients I’ve ever had? This one guy came in with something on his arm that I can’t identify to this day and I’m damn good. Oh I guess you’re wondering how I know you’re homeless,” he said, lifting Anna’s feet so that her legs were in the air.

 _No, I’m wondering when they tell me I’ve woken up in a loony bin_ , Anna thought. _And that I might not have the biggest-rambler–in-the-room award cinched for once._

He took off her two layers of socks and pointed at her toes. “There are little cross-like marks at the ends of your toes. Means you’ve been exposed to extreme temperatures some time recently. Usually that means homeless,” he finished, letting her feet and legs drop back to the bed.

Hans patted the air in front of Dr. Sweet, with an apologetic glance at Anna for the doctor’s antics. “Anna is actually in some pain and wanted to know if she could have some medication for that.”

“Oh, why didn’t you say so?” the doctor laughed and started rummaging in his medical bag.

“Well you kind of came in here looking like a psychotic killer from a cliché horror film,” Anna muttered.

The doctor laughed heartily again. He emerged with a less threatening-looking needle and stabbed her with it immediately.

“Ow!” Anna whined.

“Buck up, soldier!” he laughed and, saluting Hans, he said “I’ll come check on her again before she leaves. Just let me know when that is.”

“Sure, sure,” Hans agreed, not taking his concerned eyes off Anna.

“So,” Anna said when the doctor had gone. She sat up in the bed and patted her legs. “What now? You know I’m not Julia Roberts, right?”

Hans tilted his head at the ginger. “I’m sorry? No, Julia and I are good friends…”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Nothing. Inside joke. Sheesh, rich people.”

Hans hummed. “You don’t like the rich?”

Anna denied it. “They just tend to complicate my life, and play high and dry with me apparently.”

“Someone I know?” Hans asked.

“Elsa Arendelle ring any bells?” Anna asked.

Hans’s eyes became wide. Then he jumped up, and began pacing around the room. “Shit,” he cursed, “I can’t believe I hit…damn it, Elsa’s going to kill me!”

“Wait, wait, wait…you _do_ know Elsa?” Anna asked, gaining Hans’s attention again.

“Yes. She’s a…business partner, of sorts. Our fathers have been working toward a merger, and we’ve, unfortunately, been pulled into the mix,” he answered, running a hand through his hair. When Anna looked at him in confusion, he clarified what he meant. “Our fathers have arranged for us to be wed in a few months’ time.”

Anna felt the blood drain from her face and her heart sink. If she hadn’t yet realized she’d fallen for Elsa, she would know it now. The idea of Elsa being with the man before her filled her with the most bitter anguish she’d ever felt. Not even her horrible encounter with her parents earlier that day could measure up. She was heartbroken.

Anna raised a hand to press against her chest over her heart. It felt hollow and ached. She hadn’t known that heartache was honest to goodness real until now. It _hurt_.

The girl swallowed with effort. She daren’t meet Hans’s eyes. She’d probably start crying. And she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t cry in front of the man Elsa was going to…She gulped, forcing herself to face the truth… _Elsa is going to marry Hans._ Marry _him._ “I…I have to go…” Anna said, stepping off the small bed. She had to get out of here.

“Wait!” Hans stopped her by taking hold of both her shoulders. “I can’t let you go!”

Anna scoffed incredulously. “Excuse me?”

Hans’s eyes darted, as if he were ashamed. “Look I…I know about you and Elsa.”

 _Great_ , Anna thought, but her expression as well as said it. What did he want? For her to say the time she’d spent with Elsa hadn’t meant anything? That she _hadn’t_ fallen for the most beautiful creature she’d ever seen?

“And I want to help,” Hans finished as her thoughts rambled.

Anna frowned at that. “What?”

“Elsa’s great and everything,” Hans smirked a little, “but I’m not in love with her. Neither of us want to marry.”

Anna’s frown deepened. “Wait…what?”

Hans chuckled at her confusion. “Look, Elsa and I…well let’s just say our parents are the kind of people that will do anything to get what they want, despite who they hurt, and ‘anything’ just happens to be marrying Adgar’s only child with my father’s youngest. It would strengthen the merger considerably if our families were united. Unfortunately, Elsa and I never had a say in the arrangement. Sure, she’s a nice gal, but neither of us want this,” he said, letting his hands fall from the redhead’s shoulders. “So I’m going to help you.”

Anna paused for a moment, taking in Hans’s words before narrowing her eyes. “And helping me…what’s in it for you?”

At that, Hans laughed heartily. “Nothing. Well, I mean, I get to see my father’s face when he finds out Elsa’s gay, which will be priceless, but other than that? No, I don’t need anything, Anna. Trust me when I say that I just want Elsa to be happy, and to be able to live my own life. If I marry, I want it to be because I decided I’ve met the love of my life.”

Anna was still hesitant. Could she really trust him? Would he really be able to help her? The redhead shook her head to herself. No, he couldn’t help. Even if he was telling the truth, and Elsa _wasn’t_ going to marry him, it didn’t change the fact that the blonde clearly didn’t want to see her again. And Anna really didn’t need to get her hopes up about something else that was obviously never going to happen.

The redhead sighed, deflating before she responded to the man. “Look…I appreciate the offer but…It’s not going to work.”

Hans tilted his head in confusion. “Why not?”

“Because Elsa doesn’t want to see me anymore. I made a mistake, and she threw me out. So it doesn’t matter if you want to help, because I already screwed up whatever it was we had beyond repair,” Anna answered, looking down dejectedly.

“What? That doesn’t sound like the Elsa I know,” Hans said, surprise. “I mean, from the way she lights up when she talks about you, I thought she absolutely adored you. Unless…” he gripped his chin in thought, before looking at the redhead. “If you don’t mind me asking…what exactly was it that you did?”

Anna’s eyes widened and she flushed a deep red. “O-oh…well, chm, i-it was nothing…” she stammered, scratching the back on her neck in embarrassment and looking away from Hans.

“It clearly wasn’t nothing,” Hans pushed. When Anna stayed silent, he sighed. “Look, Anna, I can’t help you if I don’t know what you did.”

“Um…well I, uh…I kind of…kissed her,” Anna mumbled the last part.

“You…kissed her,” Hans deadpanned.

“Chm, yes,” Anna squeaked, still beat red.

“You kissed her…and she kicked you out,” Hans clarified.

“Yup,” Anna chuckled nervously.

“That’s ridiculous,” Hans said, shaking his head. “That doesn’t make any sense. Are you sure that’s all you did?”

“Well, yeah,” Anna said, confused. “At least…I think so?”

Hans paused for a moment, tapping his chin in thought. “That just doesn’t…wait, Anna. When you kissed her, was there anyone else in the room?”

“Wait what?” Anna said, thrown off. “I mean…no? It was just me and her. We…we were watching a movie,” the redhead let out a faint smile at the memory. “But as far as I can remember, no there wasn’t.”

“Are you sure? There wasn’t maybe a maid or something?” Hans insisted.

Anna paused for a moment, before her eyes widened in remembrance. “Wait, now that you mention it…yeah. Yeah, there was! There was this cleaning lady that caught us, but she left pretty quickly. I didn’t really think anything of it, but I guess it wasn’t until after she was gone that Elsa started to freak out. To be honest, she looked like she’d just seen a ghost.”

“I thought it might’ve been something like that,” Hans muttered to himself before addressing the redhead. “Anna, Elsa didn’t kick you out because you kissed her.”

“She…didn’t?” Anna asked, not daring to hope.

“No, she didn’t,” Hans answered. “If anything, I’ll bet before she saw the maid she was so ecstatic that she couldn’t form a coherent thought. I know she’s been wanting to kiss you for a while,” he gave the redhead a wink, and she flushed.

“But then...why? Why would she do that?” Anna asked, a soft plea in her voice.  

“Anna, you have to understand,” Hans said intently, “Elsa is a very public figure, and, as such, she has certain standards she must upkeep. Especially because of who her father is. If her sexuality became common knowledge, it would cause all sorts of problems for Adgar, which, in turn, would create problems for Elsa,” he paused, for a moment. “Her father…he’s a scary guy when he’s angry. Trust me on that. And he’s not too keen on gays, or homeless people for that matter, no offense.”

Anna waved him off. It’s not like it wasn’t a fact or anything.

“So if he found out she’d been even _around_ you…let’s just say you don’t want to know what he’s capable of.”

“So…you’re saying Elsa threw me out in the rain…because she was afraid of what her father would do to her?” Anna shook her head in disbelief. “You know, that doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“No, Anna,” Hans shook his head. “You’re not getting it. Elsa didn’t push you away because she was afraid of what would happen to her. She did it because she was afraid of what would happen to _you.”_

Anna’s eyes widened. “What? Y-you mean…she was just trying to…protect me?”

Hans nodded. “Yes. Or at least that’s what I believe happened.”

“But…why wouldn’t she just _tell_ me that?” Anna exclaimed, throwing her arms akimbo. Sure, she was ecstatic that there was still a chance to fix things with the blonde, but that didn’t change the fact that Elsa had still pushed her away. “I mean, did she really think that what she did was the better option?!”

“She was probably panicking, Anna,” Hans answered, remaining calm. “She was scared of what would happen if the maid told someone, so she did the first thing that came to mind. And I’m not exaggerating in regards to Adgar. I wouldn’t doubt that he’d send you to Zimbabwe if he found out about you or wherever he so pleases.”

Anna frowned. Elsa shares some genes with a giant douche mobile from the sound of things. “So…What are ganna we do?”

Hans smiles, almost grins. “I think I’ve got a plan.”

~.~.~.~.~


	9. Chapter nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, I've been pretty terrible with my updates. Sorry. But here's one now! Hope y'all enjoy!

~.~.~.~.~

Chapter nine

“Hans…I don’t know about this…” Anna looked over the ginger’s shoulder as he typed. “I mean, what if she doesn’t show up? From what you’ve told me, you guys have to be really careful about when and where you meet, right? So how can you know she’ll actually show up?”

“Relax, Anna,” Hans chuckled, turning to the girl. “Trust me. She’ll show.”

“But how do you know? I mean…what exactly did you tell her?” Anna pushed, still not convinced. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe Hans, but the ginger hadn’t seen Elsa in a week, and she was anxious to speak with her.

 “I told her that her father has started noticing discrepancies in the company’s numbers,” Hans replied, not taking his eyes away from the email.

“And…what exactly is wrong with that?”

Hans sighed before turning to face her. “It’s…complicated.” Anna huffed in annoyance, crossing her arms. This only made Hans laugh out loud. “Let’s just say that it would be really bad, and that it’ll scare Elsa enough to force her to meet with me outside of Adgar’s knowledge.”

Anna didn’t respond, choosing to watch as Hans finished typing the message.

“There,” he said, hitting the send button. “Now all we have to do is wait.”

~.~.~.~.~

Elsa didn’t feel sick. She didn’t feel faint. She didn’t feel horrified either. Elsa didn’t feel. She suspected she was done with that. How could she do anything but go numb? Anna…Her father was going after Anna. It was too late to try to find her and warn the girl herself. If she knew where Anna was, she might be able to put her on a plane of her own and send her to safety. As it were… _I was foolish_ , she thought without the emotional attachment to such a statement one might expect. _If I hadn’t pushed her away, I could have protected her. Now…he’ll find her._

Then something amazing happened: anger filled her. It was as if all of the emotional upheaval she’d been storing for the last week as she ran over her father’s hateful oath to hunt down Anna, over and over again, had finally surfaced. And it was in the form of utter, complete rage.

Elsa’s hand shot out and jammed the button for the intercom. “Anita!” she practically shouted.

“Ms. Arendelle?” Anita’s gentle voice called back.

Elsa took a calming, deep breath. “Get me Edna Mode. Tell her I need to meet her at her office. Today.”

“Right away, Ms. Arendelle,” Anita said, then the intercom silenced.

Elsa sat back in her office chair and steepled her fingers as she calculated. While she did, her gaze turned her computer, where Hans email lay open from when she’d replied to it.

Elsa reread the email, shaking her head now that the initial panic had dissipated. No. No, what he said couldn’t be true. There weren’t any discrepancies. She’d made sure of it with her own money and using untraceable methods. Simply put, what Hans claimed was impossible. Still…Elsa believed that when the stakes were this high, paranoia was a healthy form of caution.

Besides, this would give her the perfect opportunity to speak with him, which she really, _really_ needed to do, especially after what had just happened. She couldn’t afford to wait any longer, not when her father on a rampage like he was. She needed to push her plans forward. Now. Before Anna could get hurt. The blonde leaned back in her chair for a moment, before typing out a second reply and hitting send.

_I’ve changed my mind. Let’s meet now._

~.~.~.~.~

“What?! She’s coming _now?!”_

“That’s what her email said,” Hans smirked as Anna paced up and down the hotel room. “Relax, Anna. It’ll be fine.”

“But…but…she’s coming _now,_ ” Anna emphasized in full panic mode.

“And why is now any different than later tonight?” Hans questioned humorously.

“Because it’s now,” Anna huffed. “I haven’t had time to prepare! I mean, what am I supposed to say? ‘Hey I’m in love with you, despite the fact that you threw me out like I was the street person I am?’” The ginger stopped pacing. Her eyes were wide in fright as she placed her hands on her cheeks. “Oh. Oh no. Oh no no no no _no!_ What am I gonna do? She…she threw me out! She doesn’t want to see me! What the hell was I thinking, jumping her like this? I-I can’t do this…I have to go—”

“Anna!” Hans stopped her rambling by grabbing onto her shoulders and forcing him to look at her. “ _Relax_. It’s going to be fine, trust me. Just take a deep breath, and calm down.”

Anna did as she was told, and took several breaths, before looking up at Hans gratefully. “Th-thanks,” she said, giving him a small smile.

“Of course,” the ginger smiled back charmingly. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Anna’s eyes widened once more, and her breath hitched. It was time. Mirroring her thoughts, Hans released her shoulders and gave her a wink. “Showtime,” he said as he walked over to the door.

“Hans!” Anna stage whispered, grabbing at him, but missing. “Hans, wait! I’m not ready!”

The ginger paused, his hand on the doorknob as he looked at her, and mouthed “relax,” one last time, before opening the door.

Anna squeaked, turning around, away from the door. She wasn’t ready. She thought she was, but she wasn’t. After all, the redhead was still sore about being thrown out, despite the possible reasons behind the act.

“Elsa! So glad you could make it!” she heard Hans exclaim, practically hearing the smile in his voice.

“Enough with the pleasantries, Hans,” Anna heard Elsa snap. Great, she was already in a less than stellar mood. “Why did you want to meet? And I want the real reason, or I swear to God…”

“Easy there, blondie,” Hans replied, sounding amused. “Why don’t you come inside? Everything will be explained, I promise.”

Anna heard a sigh, and then the sound of heels walking across the threshold. It was now, or never. Taking a deep breath, the ginger took this as her cue, and slowly turned around to face the blonde. As soon as she laid eyes on the woman, however, she felt her breath hitch.

Despite the prominent scowl on her face, Elsa was still as beautiful as the first day they’d met. Her hair was a bit more tussled—her neat bun not so neat—only adding to her allure. That suit…She was wearing a skirt that ended at the knee, leaving Anna breathless at the sight of two sculpted legs. Anna shook her head clear, looking back up. She found herself frowning when she noticed that Elsa’s eyes were a bit puffy. Had she been crying?

“All right, I’m inside. Now what is it that is so important, that you had to make up shit to drag me out here?” Elsa huffed, crossing her arms and raising one perfect eyebrow. Even stern, maybe even _especially_ stern, Elsa was gorgeous.

“Why don’t you see for yourself?” Hans smirked, extending an arm in Anna’s direction.

She gulped as the blonde’s eyebrow raised even farther before an elegant neck slowly turned for Elsa to look where Hans was motioning.

As soon as their eyes met, Elsa’s widened in shock. Her jaw dropped along with her arms which fell to her side. Anna froze for a moment before giving the blonde a small smile and wiggling a few fingers in her direction.

“Chm…Uh, h-hey, Els,” she said weakly, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

Elsa didn’t react. At least, not at first. Then, before Anna could say another word, the woman turned tail and ran for the door.

Fortunately for Anna, and unfortunately for Elsa, Hans seemed to have anticipated this reaction. The ginger had stepped out into the hall, and shut the door before Elsa could make it more than a few feet. The sound of a lock clicking solidified that Hans had, somehow, locked them in.

Elsa grabbed the knob, pulling at the door fiercely, before banging on the door. “Hans! Open the door!” she hissed, continuing to jiggle the handle.

“Not until you two have talked,” Anna heard Hans say through the door.

“Damn it, Hans! This isn’t funny!” Elsa exclaimed, getting more desperate.

Anna watched the blonde fight with the door, attempting a rather cute barrage on the solid thing, before she gave up and rested her head on the door.

Anna would have smiled at the display, but instead felt her heart drop. Did Elsa really hate her so much that she couldn’t stand to be in the same room with her?

“Chm, um, I, uh…I didn’t know he was gonna do that,” Anna said shyly after a few awkward moments of silence. “I mean…I didn’t tell him to do that…”

Though it seemed as if Elsa didn’t hear her, Anna knew better. She could practically see the girl shaking against the door, keeping her body turned away from her.  Anna felt her shoulders slump. Hans had been wrong. This didn’t happen because Elsa was trying to protect her, this happened because she’d overstepped her bounds. And now she was paying the price.

“Elsa,” Anna said softly when she received no answer. The woman didn’t react to her voice, at least not that the redhead could tell. “Elsa come on, look at me.”

When Elsa continued to stare at the door, Anna sighed. “Look, obviously you don’t want to see me—or even be near me,” she muttered the second part, “but I have a feeling Hans isn’t going to let us out of here until we talk, so why don’t you just tell me you hate me so we can get this over with,” she finished dejectedly.

It was silent for a few seconds, as the ginger stared at her toes in rejection, before she finally heard Elsa speak.

“I don’t hate you.”

The words were so soft, Anna wasn’t even sure she’d actually heard them. “What?” she asked, looking up, and hoping—no, _praying_ —that Elsa would confirm what she thought she had heard.

The blonde appeared to take a deep breath, before she finally turned and faced the redhead, though she still refused to meet Anna’s eyes. “I-I said I don’t hate you, Anna,” she repeated a little louder, as she wrapped her arms around her middle.

“You…you don’t?” Anna asked, trying her best to keep the hope that was flooding her chest contained.

Elsa shook her head, biting her lip nervously. “No. If anything, you should be the one that hates _me._ I’m actually surprised you aren’t ripping my head off right now.”

“Elsa…I could never hate you,” Anna replied, taking a step toward the blonde. “But…I need to know…why? Why did you throw me out like that? I thought we were friends, but…why Els? Was it…was it something I did?” The redhead’s voice lowered. “Was it because I kissed you?”

“What? Anna, no that’s…no,” Elsa said, finally meeting the ginger’s eyes. “Believe me, it was nothing _you_ did.”

“Then…why, Els?” Anna said again, moving even closer until she was only a few steps away from the blonde. “I mean, what else could it have been?”

Elsa hesitated for a moment, looking at the floor once more as she worried at her lip. When she finally spoke, Anna had to lean in to hear her.

“I was afraid,” she said softly, almost as if she was ashamed of her actions.

Anna furrowed her brow, waiting for her to continue. When she didn’t, the ginger pushed on. “Afraid of what, Elsa?”

“O-Of my father,” the blonde revealed. “He doesn’t exactly…approve of my sexuality. And I was afraid. Afraid he’d find out about us…afraid he’d hurt you…” Elsa looked back up. “Anna…trust me when I say that you weren’t the one at fault. I was. I never meant to hurt you, and for that I’m truly sorry.”

Anna stared at the blonde for several moments before responding. And when she did, she had to fight through a lump in her throat to speak. She was just so…relieved to know that the woman she’d fallen in love with didn’t hate her guts. In fact, the blonde had just inadvertently admitted that she harbored some kind of feelings for her.

“Elsa…why didn’t you just _tell_ me that?” she questioned. “I mean, I would’ve understood. I know what it’s like to have parents that don’t approve, you know,” Anna lowered her head, looking away. “I thought…I thought you never wanted to see me again…” she finished sadly.

“Anna…” Elsa responded softly. “That couldn’t be farther from the truth,” she said, causing the ginger to look up again. “I just…I saw Gothel standing there, and I panicked. I didn’t know what else to do. I was just trying to protect you.”

“Oh, Elsa,” the ginger cooed, closing the distance between them when she noticed tears flowing down the blonde’s cheeks, her own not far behind. Anna brought a hand to Elsa’s cheek, wiping away her tears. “You don’t have to protect me. I’m not afraid.”

“But I do, Anna,” the blonde said, leaning into the redhead’s touch. “You don’t know my father, what he’s capable of.”

“Elsa…” Anna nearly whispered, drawing nearer. She couldn’t help it. It was as if there was a gravitational pull bringing her closer to Elsa.

“I just…I can’t let anything happen to you. I…” Elsa hesitated, searching Anna’s eyes for only God knows what, before resting her forehead against the redhead’s. “Anna, I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Despite everything that had transpired recently, Anna felt her lips curve into a soft, though triumphant smile. Elsa… _her_ Elsa…she liked the thought of that. And it wasn’t out of reach. Elsa felt the same way about her as she did about Elsa. And, the more she thought about it, the more she was certain that she was Elsa’s and that she never wanted to be anyone else’s.

Anna reached out a hand, and cautiously raised it to cup Elsa’s jaw. Her thumb glided gingerly across a perfect cheek bone. _She’s so soft_ , she thought, and bit her lip from saying it aloud.

“I’m…” she began, but had to clear her throat of the lump that had formed. “I’m falling in love with you, Elsa. I don’t think it. I’m certain. In fact, I am in love with you. I started falling for you the first day you watched Kristoff and me on the street. Every moment after, I’ve fallen more. I’m in love with you, Elsa,” she sighed happily. “I’m in love with you,” she repeated, enjoying hearing the words spoken aloud to the woman they were meant for.

Elsa, she was unsurprised, looked like _she_ was the one who was about to be run over. Her eyes were wide and petrified. “But Anna…I…we can’t. I-I don’t—“

Anna shook her head. “It’s okay. Whatever else happens is okay, but if it’s how you feel, I need you to say it. Please, Elsa.”

Elsa’s father could hunt her down, but she needed to at least know it would be worth it.

This time Elsa did surprise her. A clack from Elsa’s heels as she stepped forward warned Anna a millisecond before it happened. Elsa nearly tackled her in an embrace, and before the redhead knew it, Elsa’s lips were on hers. They’d only kissed once before, but Anna felt a surge of familiarity akin to coming home. She remembered these soft lips, the taste of winter mint always on the blonde’s breath, and the utter bliss of kissing the woman with whom she was in love. She remembered how her heartbeat skipped and her breath hitched as it all happened again.

She knew Elsa was skittish, but the blonde had started the kiss, and that fact gave Anna courage. She reached for Elsa to wrap her arms around her waist, and was unable to stop herself from letting her tongue slowly caress Elsa’s lower lip.

Elsa moaned in response, and Anna felt her eyes roll back in pleasure. She let out a brief moan in return before releasing Elsa and breaking the kiss, and resting her forehead on the blonde’s. “It’s gonna be okay, Els. I promise,” she breathed out, placing another feather light kiss on Elsa’s lips. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”

Before the blonde could respond, Anna heard the sound of a lock turning. “Hey guys, how’s it—well, well, well, what do we have here?” Hans said, as he walked through the door, a knowing smirk on his face.

Both girls flushed, Elsa’s being far more pronounced, as they separated. Much to Anna’s surprise and joy, the blonde kept a tight hold on one of her hands. Hans raised an eyebrow at the two of them, crossing his arms triumphantly.

“See, Anna? I told you it would all work out,” he smiled smugly.

“Shut up,” the ginger responded, though she couldn’t keep a smile off of her face.

Elsa’s cheeks rouged again, and she cleared her throat. “Chm, not to interrupt your little party here,” she said, earning the two redhead’s attention, “but we still have a problem,” Anna looked up at the blonde in question as Elsa turned to look at Hans. “He knows about Anna.”

“What?” Hans asked in surprise, his smile dropping.

 “There was a tabloid that had a picture of us—from the other night,” she clarified for Anna, “It didn’t show her face, but…well he knows. And he’s looking for her. That’s why I wanted to meet now. We need to start moving forward.”

“Moving forward? Elsa are you insane?!” Hans exclaimed, his eyes widening. “We’re nowhere near ready!”

“Yes we are! We have everything we need, Hans,” Elsa pushed. “I’ve already contacted my lawyer, and I’m meeting her today.”

“Wait, wait, wait, what are you guys talking about? Who knows about me?” Anna said looking back and forth between the other two. “Elsa? What’s going on?”

Elsa sighed, and reached for Anna’s other hand as she faced her. “My father.”

“Oh,” Anna nodded in understanding. Then “Ooohh. Not good.”

Elsa nodded too. “We can’t let him get to you. He’s a very powerful, very dangerous man. That’s why,” she turned back to Hans, “we have to move forward. I won’t let anything happen to Anna and I won’t be without her either.”

Anna beamed. Elsa was blushing, and blinking a bit rapidly in self-consciousness, but she was doing so without a hint of hesitation in her voice. She raised both of Elsa’s hands so that she could place gentle, chaste caresses on pale knuckles with her lips.

Hans laughed.

Anna and Elsa both turned to look at him. “What?” they asked in chorus.

Hans grinned as he shook his head. “I realize you two haven’t been in contact, and that your emotions are thus heightened.” He looked at Elsa directly. “But, Elsa, we can’t move forward just yet. Trust me. And there are other ways for him to remain ignorant in regards to your relationship with Anna.”

“Such as?” Elsa scoffed. “He has eyes everywhere.”

“Not,” Hans tutted, and waved a dismissing finger in the air, “everywhere. My estate off the coast of Panama for one.”

“Panama?” Anna questioned.

“Yes, it’s on an island I own. Very secluded. There’s no way your father would be able to find you there, Elsa. Let me put the finishing touches on my end while Anna and you…um…enjoy each other’s company,” he suggested.

He did a poor job of hiding his smirk, but Anna couldn’t hold too much of a grudge at his enjoying this a little too much. _Wait a second…_ “You own an _island?_ ” Anna burst out loud.

Hans laughed outright. “Yes. It’s not as glamorous or as frivolous as you might think. It only cost me forty thousand dollars, and the beach house wasn’t much more to construct.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Only forty thousand,” she snorted. “That would take me a lifetime to earn.”

Elsa squeezed Anna’s hands. “No. It’s too risky.”

Anna‘s brows came together. Elsa’s father must really have raised her with an iron fist.

“Elsa you can take my personal elevator to the roof, take the company helicopter to my private jet, and your father will think I’ve disappeared, not you. Or better yet, with you. I’ll lie low in my apartment until things are finished, and by the time you come back—give me a few weeks at least—he won’t be able to do anything about who you choose to kiss anyway,” he chuckled.

Elsa narrowed her eyes. “Why so eager to help, Hans?”

Auburn brows climbed. “Have you forgotten the reasons I entered this agreement in the first place, Elsa? I’m all in. This is me showing you that.”

A tumbleweed might as well have saddled by as the two money-mongers stared one another down. At last, Elsa gave a faint nod, and Anna remembered that she should start breathing again.

“Fine,” the blonde conceded. “Arrange for someone to watch my apartment, and we’ll do it, though I still think we should push forward now.”

“Great!” Hans clapped his hands together with a smile. “Well, I suppose that means that you two should get going, before your father realizes where you are.”

“O-okay, I guess,” Anna said after a moment of hesitation. “But, can someone let Kristoff know? He’ll be worried if I just disappear off of the face of the earth. I mean, I _was_ supposed to check in with him today, so he’s probably already freaking out.”

“Sure thing,” Hans assured her. “I’ll have one of mine do it as soon as you guys take off. Promise.”

“Thanks,” Anna smiled at the ginger. “For everything.”

Hans merely waved in response as Elsa led her out the door before the two girls disappeared around a corner, cutting off their view of him.

Elsa and Anna quickly reached the roof where a helicopter was waiting for them—no doubt courtesy of Hans. Anna stood in awe for a moment before Elsa pulled her into the aircraft, a smirk on her face.

“You can gawk later,” the blonde told her over the sound of the blades. “We need to get going.”

“Shut up,” Anna pushed her playfully, before squeaking and grabbing onto Elsa’s arm when the helicopter began to rise.

Elsa chuckled behind her hand, earning another gentle shove from the redhead. Then, Anna snuggled up close to the blonde, a smile on her lips. She couldn’t help herself. Despite everything, this was the best day of her life, bar none.

“I love you,” she told Elsa again, leaning in close to be sure the blonde had heard her. Elsa smiled, before capturing her lips in a passionate kiss, taking Anna’s breath away. When they pulled back, the blonde leaned her forehead against the redheads, and her next words sent Anna into a spiral of happiness as they approached Hans’s personal jet.

“I…I love you too.”

~.~.~.~.~

Hans watched Elsa and Anna disappear down the hallway, his smile immediately dropping. “Fucking idiots,” he mumbled to himself bitterly as he pulled out his phone and hit speed dial. He hated love sick fools, especially when they couldn’t see past their own ‘problems’. Why _he_ had to be the one to deal with them, was beyond him, but hey, he was just following orders.

“ _Is it done?”_ the other line answered after one ring.

“Yes, Sir,” Hans responded. “They’re on their way to the island now. They’ll be out of your hair for about a month.”

_“Good. That should be plenty of time to undo what my ungrateful abomination of a daughter has done. And you’re sure they don’t suspect a thing?”_

“No, Sir. As of right now, they trust me fully,” Hans answered, sneering slightly. “But Sir, are you sure you don’t want to just crush them now? Before they get too involved?”

_“No. I made that mistake before, and Elsa didn’t learn a thing. No, it has to be this way. When I end that pathetic girl’s existence, Elsa will be devastated. Then she’ll realize that my way is the_ only _way. Just…keep an eye on them for now. Don’t let them return until I give the okay.”_

“As you wish, Sir.”

~.~.~.~.~


End file.
